Authenticism
by Inikia
Summary: When A human gets into a odd reality of Star Fox where Fox and Falco are girls and he is one of the only three guys on a ship with multiple ladies roaming about. What could happen, Really? (This is a story about relationships and friendship mainly. If you were looking for something of a smut, look elsewhere.)
1. Chapter 1

_AN:This is my First ever proper story so any feedback is much appreciated, thanks! Plus, I would like to admit that the very beginning feels a bit rushed IMP but I did not want to disrupt any possible flow the story had so I kept it._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing from Star fox nor do I make any economic gain from this. Obviously. Sevv, however is mine._

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"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

I stepped behind a pillar in time to dodge another stun shot from my pursuers. Quickly breaking for some doors I was able to fake them out enough to be able to open the doors and make an immediate 180 in the other direction, straight into the street. Ignoring the risks I dove out in front of possible cars while making a fast break to the other side. I stopped briefly to lean against a large tree and catch my breath all the while keeping an eye on what would qualify as cops here.

They were currently making their way across a bridging overpass that connected the sidewalks to convenience the pedestrians walking around or rather lack there of. All of these different animals that walked on their toes, completely bipedal, were standing very far away from me or otherwise stowed away in a building. I know I was the alien here but it still hurt to have people avoid you. If I could even call them people. Does that term even apply to them?

FVIP!

I ducked down in a knee jerk reaction from the sound of a shot near my feet. I stood upright and sprinted forward to make a turn for a small alley between two of the many other large buildings. About halfway through it seemed that I had a problem. One of the cops had cut me off at the end of the way, leaving me pinned in a box. Though on of the sides of the box had a weak point. Jerking my head back to make sure I was still clear I sighed to find that was true. This would only work with one gun in the mix.

With a fast action I lunged forward. The guy at the end reacting only a split second after I began running he fired. Being as predictable as it was I was already in a slide grazing right under the stun. Using my arms I flung myself upwards, getting launched into the air slightly from the momentum and crashing into the humanized animal. Swiping his gun as I began to run into the open, firing blindly behind me to hopefully catch them as they ran the corner. From the noise behind me I guess it worked.

Stepping back out into the sun lit streets I was suddenly aware of a group to my right. Spinning on a heel the gun was raised at them. "Pull a gun and you are going down faster than that cop I knocked out." I paused. A cream colored fox with green eyes, a blue avian, and a Lynx. They looked so familiar. Keeping the gun trained I took a quick glance down the alley. They were taking there incapacitated members out, glaring at me. "This may seem odd but what are your lady's names?"

The fox of the group raised a brow at me, a cool and collected aura. "Considering you don't know us certainly means something." She sighed. "No point in arguing with the guy with the gun trained. My name is Fox Mc Cloud. People call me Cloud though." She pointed to the bird. "This is Fal and that," she indicated the lynx staring me down in a matter I was not able to pin. "Is Miyu Lynx. We are a part of Star Fox, a mercenary group, saved Corneria, this planet a few times over."

My eye widened a fraction. "Shit." All of their ears flicked at that. On a side note why is Fox and Falco a girl and the sheer probability of meeting them this early?

Cloud crossed her arms. "Excuse me."

I shook my head. "What I am about to say might sound crazy but; do you by chance have a blue vixen by the name of Krystal who happens to be a telepath?" They stiffened at that. "I'll explain later but I really need her help and yours to prove I am not an ape spy."

Cloud shifted on her feet, flexing her digitigrade legs. She was clearly not comfortable with the situation. "You promise. I mean how do we know-"

"I am not lying." I took a deep breath. "Look I am sorry for coming at you like this but don't accuse me of lying, please?"

She softened up. "Alright. But how do we make you disappear? The officers over there won't be happy enough for you to hold us at gunpoint for much longer."

I looked down the now blocked alley. Two men remained crouched down behind a barrier with rather large guns. I made a noise. "Those are most certainly not stuns."

The lynx turned her head to where I had looked, giving a mirthful smile. "Nope. Sorry to burst your bubble but those are quite lethal. Single shot energy lance, still somewhat experimental but available. Make a plan faster if you value living."

An idea suddenly popped into mind. "How about I escalate the situation?" The lynx quirked her head in interest. "A hostage situation. I grab one of you, hold you out in front of me with the gun to your head. I mean I'll have to switch the setting to lethal." I looked to each of them none opposing but none exactly agreeing either. "I won't shoot you I mean who do you think I am?"

"We don't know you." Came all three of their responses. I shook my head slightly. It was a stupid question.

"Whatever. Can you look me in the eye and say for sure that you do not trust me at all?"

The cream fox stared long and hard at my face scrutinizing every detail before letting a breath out. "I can't say that, no. Your eyes are very clear and bright. I can trust them the best considering I have never even seen one of your kind before."

My mouth stayed pursed for a good while. I had no idea how to respond to that. A guy like me who was depraved of contact, never looked in the eye and always decreed a liar. My eyes drifted down slightly from theirs to their feet. "That, means a great deal to me. Thanks." I heard a hum and brought my head up. "So, um, who's the sacrificial lamb so to speak?"

"Grab me." Cloud spoke quietly, surprising me. I blinked. "Use me as the hostage." Her voice was more urgent. I did so quickly. Yanking her over and placing the gun to her head. I turned it back to the ground then shot to bring it to rest on her temple.

"Alright! Listen up I only feel like saying this once. If any of you follow I will shoot miss Cloud here. If you do not back off now and out of sight with guns to the floor, I shoot miss Cloud." A mass of movement was heard as guns were tossed into the open where I could see them. I glanced to Cloud and whispered into her ear. "Just walk with me. Sorry if I make you feel awkward." I felt her head jerk forward briefly. A nod, good.

I began to back away with Fox walking in step with me. I checked behind. No one was waiting for us and it was a little while longer at least until we could slip from the sight line to another nook between the buildings. It felt like forever to get there but once there it was as simple as grabbing Cloud's wrist and pulling her along as I ran. She was a little less than enthused with that.

"You could just let me run along with you. Rather than just yanking me like this."

"We need to make it believable." Was my response while looking ahead at the grouping of trees. "Is this a forest?" I asked with a gesture through cocking my head in said area of interest.

"No it's a park."

"It'll have to work. We will wait in there for it to get a bit darker out and your friends back there can come and pick us up." Weaving in and out from the trees we came across a clearing surrounded by an excess of foliage cover. "Here will do." I announced as let go of her watching as she grabbed where I had held her and rub. I rubbed the back of my head. "Sorry."

She gave an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. "It hurts only a bit." She sat on a nearby rock Crossing her legs and allowing me to get a proper look at her feet. They were really like a dogs in how they walk on their toes. In fact that was one of the only things that made her different from human. Besides the fur, their face, colors and designs, the fluffy tail from her back side. Well maybe not that similar but it was still close enough to offer a bit of parody in design. "What are you looking at?"

I nearly fell over at the sudden vocalization. "I, well, you just look so different from my kind yet similar at the same time. I never meant to stare I was just-"

"Making observations." My brow raised at her and her cheeky smile.

I nodded and slapped my face with my hand before slumping to the grass. "Well, yes, and shut up. I mean this is the first time I have ever seen something like your kind before."

Her face went serious. "What do you mean first you've seen? Is there really nothing like us where you come from?"

"Well there is but to a very small degree and comparing you to them would be insulting in my opinion. Imagine a creature like you but walks on four legs, can't talk, and makes strange mewing noises."

Her face turned to the sky in passive thought. "That seems really strange."

"Right?" I stretched my arms out to make further emphasis on my point. "now time to hold up my end of the bargain. Ask away."

"Yes." She adjusted her seating slightly. "You knew about Krystal and you did not even know about the Star Fox team and this team is a big thing. Always has been."

Leaning back I cringed. "It seems you picked the question that will explain most of what I know actually. A little warning this may be very uncomfortable for you to here." I blinked at her obvious changes in figure from the Fox I knew and love. "Some more than others."

"How do you mean?"

I raised a finger up to her. "I was just getting to that. Anyway, I come from a place where you are nothing but a character in a game to be controlled as we essentially take part in every major moment and crisis you have partaken in. From the Lylat wars to the Apparoid invasion. Through that I know about Star Wolf, Andross, Peppy Hare, Slippy, and what happened to Krystal. That and more."

Cloud got up from the rock and walked closer to me, taking a seat in front of me. "Is that all? It feels like your keeping a little more to yourself than you let on."

"You would be right about that." I laughed. "But in all seriousness you and Fal are supposed to be guys so it is not how the game was designed per say but other than that it seems to be all in order."

"You're telling me that you are from another dimension then?" I nodded and diverted my eyes. I felt so guilty for some reason. "Not only that but me and all of my team and friends are of common knowledge to you? Personality and all?" I gave a shrug. That may not be true concerning the anthro fox in front of me and Falco since girls and boys act differently from one and the other. "Plus me and falco are plus and minus a few parts and sculpture than you are used to?"

"Yep."

"Prove it then." She defiantly crossed her arms in protest to my claim. "You say you know us so how about this tell me Miyu's personality from top to bottom. She is one of the more complicated of us."

I looked back to Clouds green eyes finally finding the test she set up to be rather interesting. "Miyu, huh? Really?" I saw her nod. "Alright I'll list it off real fast so try to keep up." The brows narrowed a bit. "Miyu lynx. A tomboy-ish Lynx girl with a rather provocative and flirtatious personality. Friends with a spaniel by the name of Fay whom she often flies her upgraded Arwing called an interceptor due to the enhanced speed."

Clouds jaw dropped open slightly and remained open until finally closing it. "Wow." She clapped her hands together. "That is a rather accurate description of the girl. Bonus points for knowing her ride and long time friend. Color me convinced. Confused but convinced none the less."

"I still know more. Like how Fal had a little fling with Katt Monroe at least once."

An ear twitched on her head as she leaned in close. "Really? When did they do that? I mean Katt and Fal don't get along too often."

"Before she met you I would think. They used to get along really well." I thought for a moment. "Don't call Fal a lesbian though, I think she swings both ways. In this universe at least."

Clouds ears lowered slightly at that. "It might explain why she sometimes slaps my butt after a workout in the gym room, Great Fox or not." I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off. "Doesn't mean that I hate her or feel uncomfortable just explains some things she does. Maybe why she brags so much about kill count in the Arwings."

My head shook. "Oh no. She does that cause she is way too cocky and fails to understand that there are others way above her skill level. A good person but cocky, ya?" She nodded an affirmative and lowered her head to look at the grass sway slightly in the light breeze. "You're worried that her acting like that will get her killed one day?" Cloud tightened up her form at that in what looked like an attempt of hiding.

"I trust in her abilities and all but with the amount of time that I have had to get some Apparoid off her tail was many and it scares me that she still brags like she does. It's like she has no idea the amount of times she could have been shot down."

"Good thing she has a friend like you, Cloud. A friend like you looking out for not only her but all the others there. You might be a mercenary but you are a damn good friend with good people that support in a line of unforgiving work. Considering you are all alive and well means you are doing something right, huh?"

Her head came out from between her arms as it seems her eyes lit up with an idea. She lunged out and grabbed me by the shoulders, yanking me up onto my feet with her. "How would you like to join Star Fox?"

"I, uh..."

She shook me hard. "I mean you just got here from a different reality and have nowhere to go, no source of income. On the account of handling yourself and trust I'd say you've already earned that from me seeing how you act and talk."

I took her hand off of me. "What about the rest of your team having a guy they just met suddenly pop in?"

She smiled. "Oh please I think Fal and Miyu already have no problem with that and with the others, Slippy and Peppy are great guys, and Krystal will know you a decent bit the moment you step close enough. Telepath remember?" She gave me a smack on the side of the head. "How about it?"

I Had no idea to be honest. Sure I was in a bad spot but that did not mean I had to become a mercenary to earn a living. I had enough of combat back home being an engineer in the armed forces when North Korea got a really warmongering leader. It was a long fight that I was only able to join in the final quarter. That was all I needed though to get sick of fighting. Of shooting to kill.

Was it really worth it to get back into that kind of life? To shoot to make a living is a little taboo in my opinion. No offense to the armies back home. They do so to protect the inhabitants of their country. This was a wayward road to that path. We would kill for money or perform a task that usually ended in more ammo spent regardless of the job.

"You know what Cloud-" I stopped abruptly. This was Fox Mc Cloud for all it was worth even if he is now a she. The Fox I know would never take a bad job so why would this one be any different? "I would be happy to join your merry band."

"Great!" She smiled and stuck out an open hand. "How about we shake on it?"

I reciprocated the smile and reached out to clasp her hand in mine. "Partners."

"Partners." She agreed and bounced back a foot. "Now we just have to wait for Miyu and Fal to come by and guide us out of here to the great fox at the spaceport's dock."

"Who knows how long that will take." I said gazing up at the sky. It was steadily turning a more yellow shade as the night crept closer.

"They should be here soon. I activated a beacon when we arrived here."

"Mmmmmm?" She indicated to her wrist. "Ah. A functioning accessory." She gave a nod and went back to the rock she previously sitting on. "So what to do when waiting for a couple of girls?"

I heard a laugh and saw Cloud now covering her mouth. I raised a brow to her in question. She moved her hand. "I thought you should know." She snickered again.

I frowned and shook my head.

Cloud looked on in disbelief. "What! Seriously?" Another shake of the head from to side told her my simple answer. "Not even once?"

"I denied every girl that asked. None of them I was interested in. No one really clicked I guess." I waved her response off. "How about we steer off the odd conversational path we're on?"

"No problem."

The sudden voice made me turn quick the source. Miyu and Fay standing out among the foliage with there out of place coloring. I looked to Miyu's hand. "What's in the bag?"

She walked over and handed it off to me. "A coat."

"A coat?"

"Ya to help you hide your noticeable face."

Pulling said article of clothing from the bag I unfolded it to its full length. It was a durable black material that was at least as long as a trench coat. Slinging it onto either arm I pulled the hood up from my back and to my head. Now with my hands in my pockets with the large hood cover it would be hard for any passer by to tell who I was.

"This fits surprisingly well. Thanks, Miyu."

She just batted the thanks down with a hand wave. "Nah. It was no problem." Despite what she says, her smile tells me she like the praise. "Now that tall and brooding here is covered and it is getting darker by the minute, how about we make it back to the Great Fox?"

I saw each of the group nod in agreement and begin to set off. Not wanting or needing to be left behind I quickly fell into step with the trio. We took a slight detour to emerge farther along from where I was last spotted. Other than that coming out of the forest and walking among the crowd was simple. No one had even batted an eye to where we had emerged. Makes you wonder if anyone actually pays attention.

Just to spite my previous statement the bystanders had their attention drawn by me. Even with the trench coat hiding my visage people still their eyes drawn. To try and remedy the situation to avoid furthers suspicion I stepped closer to the girls, practically walking beside them. I checked around again. It looks as though it helped. My individual appearance with a trench coat is cause for some minor panic but standing and walking with a group made me look just like anyone else. Just a weird sense of style to wear this type of coat.

I tapped Cloud on the hand in a subtle gesture to get her attention. She made hum as er eye turned to me. "I'm still drawing crowds. What do we do if someone sees me?"

"We hope that they haven't seen the news and keep going and if not then I guess we work it out from there."

My eye twitched at the relaxed demeanor of the answer. "Work it out from there, huh? That's it?"

I saw a slight shrug. "Well I don't really know what we will do but I know that having you with us can vouch you out of quite the few situations that you may have gotten yourself into." She widened her eyes. "You didn't like hurt anyone when you got here right?" I made a face. "What did you do exactly."

"Mmmmmnnnngggg." I groaned as I weaved out of the way of a husky. "I may or may not have landed on general Pepper's head when I 'popped by' out of the blue."

I heard Fal snicker at that. "You landed on one of our generals head, hurt him, then ran through one of the most heavily guarded places on this planet?" I remained silent. "This is just too good. You are joining our team I reckon?"

"What made you guess?"

"Cloud is good at picking people out."

Casting a sidelong glance to the fox in question I had to agree. Certainly knew how to pick them if his- I mean her team is anything to go by. "So how do you gals feel of my involvement with the team from here on?"

Fal gave a indifferent look. "From what I've seen and heard I think you are good enough."

Miyu looked genuinely happy about the whole situation. The tomboy girl was bouncing around as she walked. "I think you're cool 'nuff. Plus it would be nice to have more guys on the team for once besides Slippy and Peppy. I mean they are awesome but it's nice."

Cloud made a Snirk. "You just want a guy to join you in you're beer drinking and video games."

The lynx had a look of mock offense. "Hey! Not my fault you are all light weights and have no dexterity in their fingers."

I placed a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "I can help ya out with that. I mean I don't drink but I can be there with ya. That and I know how to work my way around the old buttons." I saw Cloud and Fal sigh. I looked to both rapidly for an answer.

"The last thing you want to do with Miyu around is-" Fal started but was cut off by Cloud.

"Let him figure it out on his own."

"Hmmmm?" I turned to the feline in question who just looked innocent, staring ahead. I think I am going to regret this. We had just reached a large complex when we turned inward to enter from the sidewalk. It appeared to be just like an airport in almost every aspect besides the checkpoints and lines. Small store lining each side containing various things that I honestly could not even name off. "So this is a spaceport huh? Pretty impressive." Cloud nodded.

"It is one of the most expensive buildings around." She pulled her hand up to her head and pressed a button on the one eyed visor she wore. "Hey Krystal, We're back." She looked back to me. "And we brought a friend along. Be a dear please?"

We made our way a short way through the spaceport before coming across a long hallway filled with large bulkhead doors lining each side of the corridor. We turned to a door marked 16 and watched as Cloud punched in a code for it to slide open. As it did I found myself lacking any kind of gauged reaction. The game never really did the ship justice in its pure scale. It had to be nearly a kilometer long at least. This ship could certainly handle more than a few Arwings.

"That is a surprisingly big ship." Was my dumb statement as I kept in pace to walk to the front side of the ship were a rather sizable door opened.

"About time you got back. Have you seen the news? There is apparently a new-" She stopped suddenly as her eyes fell on me. She turned to Cloud who only gave a weak smile in return. Focusing her attention back to me she pointed. "You."

I crossed my arms slightly amused at the cerulean vixen's reaction. "Me." A cheeky tongue in cheek mockery of the startled girl.

She began to stomp down the ramp to come to a stand in front of me. She leaned forward some to get a better look. "Take off the hood. Now." Not wanting to start a conflict I did so. Reaching a hand out she traced the very bottom of my jaw and turned my head to the side. "No special devices. Clear eyes." She smack the side of my jaw. "Good structure." Turning on a heel she walked back up and into the ship.

I tilted my head and rubbed where I had been hit. "That was weird."

Cloud and Fal laughed as they walked to follow the just departed comrade. Miyu came next to me. "She likes you. I think. She can be a bit odd sometimes but that was the first time I have seen her do something that weird when not drunk."

"So I'm clean?"

"I guess so." She stepped to the ramp. "Come on we gotta get you a room."

I walked past her. "I think you should go and join Krystal and the others. There is something Cloud needs to tell all of you in detail. I'll find a room on my own our wander the ship if I get lost." With that said I never gave her time to respond before disappearing into the ship. They might not like me wandering the ship alone but Krystal seems to trust me, that should be enough.

Making my way down the long corridor I found that the ship's walls has various signs pointing in directions of where certain amenities would be found. There was a sign with a bed prominently on display that pointed to the left. Following the signs direction I turned to the next hall on the left and continued on. Finding the hall littered with normal sized doors I concluded myself to be in the right place. The rooms closest to the start are most likely to be taken. Knowing that I stepped to the very back of the dead end hall and entered the room on the left.

It was a quaint room to say the least. A comfy bed, a nightstand, some drawers, and an open sliding door that lead to the bathroom. It was nothing special once again. Just a shower, sink, and toilet. I came back into the main room and sat on the bed. This was really happening. Not just some long dream but a real and tangible experience I was not getting out of. Not that I knew how to get out and back home.

Running a hand through my dirty blonde hair I wracked at my brain for many things. Like; did anyone notice that I am gone? If so how scared they must be right now scrambling around my home town and further to try and find me? Was I actually gone in the first place? Did I ever exist in the first place? Why did this epiphany have to happen now of all the times? Sitting in the assault carrier ship I grew up seeing in games when I was only a small kid, I even revisit the games from time to time.

"Mmmnnn." I groaned as my head feel into both of my hands as I found myself getting more and more frustrated, angry, and scared. "What the actual fuck." I mumbled while thumping my heel on the metal floor. The more I dallied along in thought I felt a growing pit in my stomach. Had all I done back on Earth been for nothing at all? I had a girlfriend, a job to pay for a college program, and a good family above all of that with good friends. Now with my sudden leave did I just disappear from their lives with no trace of me being there?

Did my girlfriend have a different guy for a lover and did my parents have a kid or was I simply replaced? Did I live for real? Was I real? I lifted my head back up and grasped the back of my neck as I rocked back and forth slowly. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" I ran to the bathroom and shut the door with a button and pressed the next to lock. Going to the mirror I gazed at my reflection. I gingerly raised a hand to touch the side of my face. It could just be a sick ream.

Placing my hand on the sink I leaned closer. The one sure way to know if this was real.

The glass cracked violently as my fist crashed into its reflective surface, shards sticking in my skin. I could see blood. A lot of it. Not only that. "OW! FUCK ME! That hurt." I held the bleeding hand in the other and backed up to slink down the wall to the cool floor. I laughed suddenly. "That was really stupid. Screw you human brain. Owwwoooowww." I hissed through my teeth as my hand throbbed violently as if to reaffirm my conclusive, albeit late, statement.

I stared at the bleeding appendage. "How to explain a busted hand that looks like I dipped it into a vat of ketchup? With a telepath on the team no less. I also have to keep the whole mental breakdown on the down-low." I heard many rushed footfalls coming from down the hall outside of my room. "I guess they know already, huh?" A sudden and panicked knock at my bathroom door. I kept silent for a moment. There was yet another frantic thumping. "I am alive if that is what you are trying to ask!"

I thought I heard a sigh from the other side. "Are you ok? Krystal said she felt some sort of snap in your mind. We came running as soon as she noticed it."

My eyes fluttered on over to the broken glass panel. "She felt that through all this metal and from however far away you guys were?" I whistled, impressed.

"It was a really bad break. She said it tore through the ship like a distress beacon travels in space. Made her nearly fall over on the spot."

"I- Sorry."

"Just what the hell happened?"

"A crazy moment in thought led to a strange realization even if it was unfounded."

"You had a breakdown."

I was silent. I felt stupid for having it now.

"Get your ass out here right now or we are coming in!" I stood to my feet and padded over to the door. I hovered my hand over the unlock button. "Right damn now!" I took a breath and pushed it. The door opened with a swish to reveal Cloud and Krystal. I walked past them and plopped down on the edge of the bed once again.

Cloud came over to me and looked me over to find my bloodied hand still grasped in the opposite. A look of shock overcame her face. "Hey, Krys?" Cloud called out to the vixen just near by.

The blue fox came of of the bathroom with a frown marring her muzzle. "I know. It looks like he punched the mirror when he entered that broken state briefly." She knelt down in front of me and held out her hand. "Give it here, please" I refused by staying put. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Give me your hand. You are acting like a small kit."

"My blood will dirty your-"

"You think I give a damn!" She growled out. She shook her head and took a breath. "I can wash up later. Now let me see. Please?" The way her ears tilted and how her eyes glinted made me submit my damaged part. She gave it a thorough look over with just her eyes before trying to move my fingers. I moaned and recoiled. "Looks like the glass is in far enough to make it hard to move." She motioned to Cloud. "Can you go to the others while I take him to the med bay to fix him up?"

Only a nod was met from the cream and tan fox as she left the room. I looked to Krystal who only looked back. She picked me up from the bed and gave me a little shove out into the hall. I waited for her as she soon followed suit and walked along with me to the nearby med bay.

As we entered the medical facility I sat down on the nearest bed there. Krystal went further towards the back and returned with a silver box. She placed it down gently and popped both locks on either side to open. With the contents now exposed she sifted through and one by one pulled out some bandages, medical tape, forceps, and scissors. She grabbed them all in one padded hand and ventured over to a large tub like sink. She waggled her finger at me in a beckon motion to which I replied in kind and came to her quickly.

She took my hand in her as the other turned the tap for the faucet. First she went for the forceps and brought it to hover over my glass porcupine digits. With fast but careful movements she plucked each and every sliver and dropped it into the wet sink with a plink noise. I watched as all of the blood started to pool off each one and flow to the drain. With that done she submerged my hand under the torrent of water. I gave a grimace as the water stung the recently vacated puncture wounds.

Reaching to the side of the sink she grabbed a bottle to which she popped the lid with just her thumb. Before getting a chance to ask what it was I was greeted by a stinging sensation as the liquid poured from the container. The pour lasted a decent few seconds before she flipped it back upright and popped the tap back on. Then without even seeing it Krystal wiped my hand down quickly with a towel and wrapped it with a bandage held on my hand with medical tape.

I stared at it then to the vixen placing the tools back in the box and sliding it under a close bed. I came back to look at my hand. Must be a special bandage.

"Ahem!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden vocalization from the blue vixen and snapped my eyes to. I saw her give a smile that was very short lived before her face went to one of a perplexed individual. "What exactly were you thinking about in that room? You felt utterly broken over the link I had."

"I was thinking of home." I said. "Maybe not just of home but everyone I knew suddenly finding me gone with no trace. It hurts to think about that." Krystal fave an affirmative nod and let me continue. "As I kept thinking of it the more I thought of how sudden I ended up here. My mind just leaped to the conclusion of what if my life had never really happened. Like do I even exist now, here, with all of you?" I felt myself shiver at the thought once again. I pushed it back. "It is really scary, Krystal."

"So," She began as she walked to the bed I rested upon and sat down close to me. "You came to doubt yourself and your existence through the sudden displacement you just experienced." Solemnly, I quietly murmured a yes. "Can I help you at all in any way?"

A smile appeared on my face at her words. "No. I think I proved that to my stupid self by smashing a mirror and lashing my hand with the shards." I held the affected limb up to prove my point. "Anyway I think we should go and meet with the others now." I moved to stand but was grabbed back. I looked to the fox. "Is there something wrong?"

Krystal shook her head and let go of my arm. "All of what you said to Cloud when you two talked, that was all true?" I nodded. "What were your thoughts on all of the things we have gone through?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"I don't know really but I just find it odd that you know a great deal about all of us and practically followed us through on rails of your own."

I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "Do you find it disturbing? Do I make you feel uneasy? You can let me know, you know. I can take a hint." I made a nervous laugh to try and clear the air up around me and only ended up making it worse.

"No that is not what I find disturbing." I Went wide eyed and raised a brow. "I find the..." She trailed off slightly, a shade of her face turning red. "Pictures and artworks drawn of us to be rather unsavory. I am not accusing you of doing this. I know that you stumble across a lot of odd things online."

I let out a breath of air that I was holding in. "Thank god." I placed a hand on my chest and brushed it off. "I mean ya it can seem weird but I can assure that all of them think of you as fictional but still respect you." I placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a short pat. "Christ. You do know that you are a damn bloody icon where I come from, right? One of the most memorable characters in gaming history."

I saw her head tilt down to look at her fidgeting feet. "That does make me feel much better about it, but, um," Her face darkened with another shade of red as just her eyes turned to look at me. "You yourself liked some of them."

"The good ones. As in the ones where you were fully clothed or it was just a really cute picture of the star fox team getting along. No need to be bashful about the ones I like."

She gave a nod. "Not that. Some of the pictures are still floating around up here." She pointed to her head. I just made an O face.

Time to divert the conversation. "So um just how far did you look into my head?"

The red drained from her face and her posture straightened up as a smug grin spread. "Oh. I was down deep enough, leg man."

My face burned at that. "It's not nice to look at someones interests and preferences without permission you know." I turned my head away from her as I stood from my spot. "We should get going to where the others are."

"Awwwwww." Krystal pouted at me but stood as well. "And here I was thinking you were the one to handle a situation when is came _crashing down_." Her emphasis on the last two words gave me a sinking feeling. "I looked at what it was that makes you a leg guy." She gave a saucy sneer. "You're dirty you know that."

This was definitely the Krystal I had seen in the games. Sweet, protective, and down right evil in her teasing. That innocent facade she put up was a real front. Hard to decipher at times but when it came down to it Krystal was nearly as bad as Miyu from how the developers had planned her personality out. The only real difference was that Miyu would be flirting most of the time with a rouge sense of humor.

I rubbed my face while I followed next to the cerulean. "I get it I am fun to tease. Now please stop."

"Alright but do know that I am never going to let you live this down."

"Why is that?"

"It gives me some sort of leverage against you if I need it." She clasped her hand behind her back and bounced along as she walked. "I wonder if I should let Miyu in on it too? She would just make it all the better with how salacious she is." She moved a bit faster ahead of me. I kept pace with her.

I glared at her back. "You wouldn't."

She turned her neck enough so I could see one side of her face. "I would though." She broke out into what was more a run. I quickly followed after. Looking to the signs we were getting close to where Cloud and the others were. If I did not stop her... That would lead to much a tease. "Hey guys guess what?" I dove in through the door she had just opened after her and slid next to Krystal. "Turns out that the new guy- MMMGGGH!"

I took a breath and looked around. Fal, Cloud, Slippy, Peppy, miyu, Fay, Phara, and Katt all looked at me with an accusatory glance. I aimed my eyes to the vixen who I had my hand on her muzzle, keeping it shut. The only thing making it through were grunts. I held up my other hand to the group. "If you'll excuse us for just a moment." With that I yanked Krystal into the hall and shut the door. "Now before I let go of your mouth, tell me why you were just about to rat me out to the rest of the gang there."

I Let go of her and she crossed her arms at me. "I was getting your mind off of recent events with something different. It worked right?" I glared at her. "I wasn't actually going to tell them. I would have diverted off of the to allude to another subject, such as you being fine now."

I dropped my head backwards and let it roll. "All of that was to get my mind off of my own musings, albeit dangerous ones?" She gave a nod, I gave a moan. "Now I feel like a dick grabbing you like that."

She came up to me and smiled. "Hey it's fine. Not like there was not a reason to shut my mouth closed like that. I mean you thought I was about to spill."

"Mmm." Was my only response.

She beckoned me to follow her back to the door as she opened the door. I stepped through as it close. All eyes were still on me, save for Krystal of course. I just gave a faint wave over to them as I found myself a lone chair on the outer edge of the group.

"Well," Krystal began. "Our new friend here seems to be doing better now." She threw a hand out to my general direction. "I will not say exactly what happened for his safety but none of you have to worry about that type of thing happening again."

"That's great to hear Krystal, it really is, but what was that just earlier. The dragging you out of the room thing?" Fox was first to speak. Feels weird to call her fox. Not that the name Fox has a specific gender though.

"That was just-" Krytal suddenly paused and turned to me. She gave a blink as a realization came to mind. "You know we never did get your name."

"Oh." I slapped myself on the forehead. "Ya, sorry about that. A lot has happened today. The name's Sevv."

Krystal turned back to Fox. "Sevv, was just asking me not to disclose the incident he so admits was stupid of him. Nothing to worry about, Cloud. He can be trusted with anything we can throw out."

I saw the Lynx give a shift of her body at that. "He seems like a pretty chill dude. I'll vouch for him too Cloud."

Cloud gave an empathetic nod. "If both of you are on the same page then it must be damn true." She placed her hands in her flight jacket pockets. "Right now down to the main business of this meeting. Sevv made a big mess popping up out of nowhere on top of general Pepper himself. We need to go to him tomorrow with our new crew mate and excuse him."

"How are you even going to do that? I mean I practically landed ass first on top of a prominent military figure who also happens to be highly respected by your people." I spoke out from my chair. Surely my offense could not be so easily dismissed.

Cloud canted her head down to the ground ten back up. "It is a lot more simple than it seems. Sure what you did may have seem bad but they don't know the circumstances and Pepper was knocked out cold. You have no witnesses so all they know is that you sneaked your way in and assaulted a military official. If we just bring Krystal along and have her explain to the general what happened, the old man should just call off any attempts to chase you down." I looked the mentioned fox who smiled at me, a amused sparkle in her eye.

"I happen to get along well with the old dog of war."

"Ya." I looked to the white dog who was silent until this point. "If anyone can convince Pepper it would be Krystal. She has a way with people that many of us lack."

The pink cat slapped the spaniel on her shoulder. "Not that we can't talk to people, just that Krystal is our communication expert for a reason." Fay pouted at the feline. "Oh don't look at me like that. You made it seem like we are incapable of interacting with others."

"That is not what I meant though." She was still upset about getting hit by her friend.

The pink cat sighed. "Look I'll buy you something to eat next time we go out so cheer up, love."

"Thanks, Katt"

I blinked rapidly at the exchange. I knew that this crew was a bit odd at times but this was crazy. I saw Cloud shake her head in the corner of my eye. Seems like she was having similar thoughts to me. Speaking of thoughts. Krystal get out of my mind please. I thought out to the suspected intruder.

'Aw you're no fun.'

Ignoring the bait I motioned for Fox to continue the meeting.

"Anyway. With Krystal and myself with you we should have no problem telling them what happened and proving it to them."

I raised a brow to that. "Prove it to them? How, pray tell, are we going to do that, Cloud?"

"You," She pointed to me briefly. "Are going to tell general Pepper everything me and my team have gone through up until the Aparoid invasion. This includes the excursion we had on dinosaur planet when we saved Krystal from her crystal prison." I felt my eyes roll. How redundant.

"I am going to be arrested when I go there you know that right. Not like I can go there and say; oh hey, ya, sorry about shooting a couple of your guys with stuns and knocking you out unconscious."

"I was sort of counting on that to be honest." She received a hard glare from me. "Look if you give yourself up it will make you look even more believable when you talk to the general. I mean it is not like you tried to kill any of his men."

I stopped at that and waggled my head from side to side like I was weighing the options. "I think that is a valid point. You have beat here, lady." I crossed my legs and stuck my hands out in a gesture that could only be taken as asking for handcuffs. "Take me to your leader. Away with you."

Cloud's head tilted to the side as her brow cocked up to one side and down to the other. "That was pretty bad, Sevv."

I crossed my arms. "Oh ya?" I taunted her by leaning forward in my chair. "Then why did I hear a snicker? Do people not laugh when they find something amusing?"

Miyu waved me to look at her. I turned to her. She was lounging on the large couch with her legs up on the arm rest and head resting against a pillow. She was fiddling with the device on her arm as she flicked her eyes to me and then back to her wrist. "More like snickering at you rather than the cheesed reference."

I slumped back in my chair, letting my arms fall to the sides. "Everyone's a critic."

"Only when you suck."

I sucked in a breath of air and feigned a look of being shot. Dramatic chest holding and all. I saw the Lynx hurl something at me and was to late to dodge it, hitting me in the head. I rubbed the point of impact and looked to the floor. "Where the hell did you get a grape?"

I saw her smile and lift something from from her mouth with the tip of her tongue. A group of grapes rested atop. I gave her look as if only asking why and all she did was bring the grapes back down and swallow before giving me a toothy grin. Ignoring the shit eating grin that kept being produced from the cat I got up and headed for the door.

"Imm'a go to sleep after taking a shower. Goodnight."

"See ya tomorrow." I heard many of them speak at the same time.

"Mmhmm." I stopped just before the door. "Oh, and Miyu?"

I could almost imagine the cat's ears perking to the that. "Yeeeeessssss?"

"Fuck you."

"You would want to wouldn't you?" I heard the murr in her throat as she spoke.

"Please no."

"Please do."

I made an agitated noise and let the room to head for my room. I would deal with things tomorrow. I had an extreme urge to go to sleep right about now.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey wake up." I felt a poke to my side.

I made a noise no human being should be able to make and rolled so my back was facing the antagonist to my sleep. "Shhhhhhhhh." I hushed to the voice, still partly asleep so the shush came slurred. "I don't want to talk. Shut up team speak."

"Hey." The voice was much more stern this time around and the poke became a jab to my spine. I flinched away from the pain and ended up making my front side bow outwards. "Wake up you fur less thing!" I gave a shriek as I suddenly plummeted to the floor. Landing with a hard clang my eye burst open to look on the assailant. I was hardly surprised to find a Frowning lynx with arms crossed.

I lifted my torso off from the floor slowly. I kept my hand pressing to the main point of impact like an old gentleman with a equally old back. "Ow ow ow ow ow." I stared hard at the cat and threw a hand out accusing her. "OW!"

"What?" She shrugged it off. "You weren't waking up so I resorted to more effective measures."

"More effective measures?" I phrased it aloud as if testing the validity of the statement. "Bullshit." I confirmed. "You did that one purpose. Could you not have given me a little more time to wake up? I mean, asking twice then tossing the poor sod off the bed? Kind of cruel do you not think?"

"Of course I did it on purpose or else I would not have done it." She scoffed at me. "I did not however do it in the way you think."

"How so?"

"Well for one you have been asleep for about," She glanced to the clock in the room. "Eleven hours now. Give or take some odd minutes." She knelt down and offered a hand to which I surprisingly accepted. She stood me back up and made sure I stood before letting my hand go. "And two; the other all tried and all failed. I was the last resort." Last resort. She seemed to like calling herself that from how it sounded.

"That long? Really?" I cast a surprised expression over. "That is crazy."

Miyu walked to the door leading to the hall and was about to leave when she stopped halfway through. "We have held off making breakfast for a while now so don't keep us waiting." With that she quickly sauntered out of the room, closing my door behind her.

I swept a hand through my blonde hair to put it back into its fashion but almost immediately withdrew when I felt the grease. I rubbed to fingers together and watched as the slid nearly effortlessly together. I most definitely slept for a long time. Taking a look to the time I figured a shower would benefit me as well as the others. If they really wanted to eat they would do so without me and if they only just started making it, even better. I would make perfect time that way.

Satisfied that the pros seem to outweigh the cons in this situation I entered the bathroom. The door shut as soon as I entered funnily enough. Was it not automated yesterday? I distinctly remember having to close and lock it the other day. "Damn weird space sorcery. Why will you never reveal to me your secrets?"

Chuckling at my chain of thought I thought it better to accept it and move on. Doing just so I dispelled my clothes to the floor below me and knocked them to the wall so as not to trip on it later. Fully in the nude I slid the shower door open and came to stand in the slightly small box that was my space to clean my body. Turning my body to face the wall with the faucet I was surprised to find no knobs, nor any kind of touch pad to start. In fact there was absolutely nothing on the wall but the faucet.

I felt my brow raise involuntarily a the sight, or rather lack there of. Placing my hands on the wall and sliding them to and fro like a drunk trying to maintain balance I hope it would make something happen. Which of course it never did. I only succeeded in making myself seem a fool. I dropped my hands to my sides so suddenly that it caused them to make a clap as they hit my thighs.

"I just want a shower." I heard a noise and my ear perked to it. It was coming from the shower head. I leaned my head closer to it before finding my face to be assaulted by a torrent flow of water. I Stepped back and spit. "Drinking water, good. Getting it blasted down your throat, bad." I morbidly summarized. "At least I can wash off now."

Setting my head under the flow I rubbed vigorously to fully wet every strand of hair. Satisfied with that I reached for what could only be a bottle of shampoo and popped the top open to pour on my open palmed hand. Again the process started. Rub hard, but this time without the water until satisfied with the saturation. I found that point several seconds in before ducking back in to rinse off, wiping down the rest of my self as the soap traveled down the way.

Happy that I was clean I found myself at another impasse. How did I turn the water off once on? I thought back to it. If there was no tactile way of starting or stopping it and the mere mention of the word shower had it coughing up the liquid, perhaps it was voice controlled?

"Shower?" It sopped. I grew giddy. "Shower." It turned back on once again. "Shower." still holding true, it turned off. I felt an odd shiver go up my spine. "Goosebumps. I should stop and go join the rest of the team to eat." I stood stock still regardless of what I said. "Nah, they can wait a bit longer. Science awaits! Shower!"

I had lost myself some how, some way. I had spent the past few minutes yelling shower at a shower until I was rolling on the floor laughing. "I AM A GOD! Feeble peasants, only I can control the water! Do you wish for me to take reins of your oceans as well?" Like a small child watching the water shoot off the ends of your fingers, I had lost it. My laugh by this pint had turned into more of a cackle as I had only enough breath to laugh, nothing more. The moment I took air in from a gasp it was expelled through laughter.

It was moments like these in my life, even if they were far and in between, that I questioned my sanity. Now with almost no breath making full circuit I rolled to my back to stare at the ceiling, still naked. I had to calm down before getting up or else risk falling over. Every few seconds I had a residual chuckle that made my chest bounce as my diaphragm expanded and contracted. "Huuuwaaaah." I exhaled. "I am a grade A nutcase."

Nodding to myself in satisfaction of finally being able to make a coherent sentence from the passed time laughing, I pushed up off the floor and stood back on my own two feet. Kicking my clothes up from the corner they had been placed in I slung the on in the fastest but safest way possible. I still ended up accidentally tripping on the end of a pant leg and hitting the door panel. I did a mock up of a dance move from the '50s and regained balance as I shot out from the bathroom.

For some odd reason I muttered a curse and other such extreme words to the door for being to easy to open. With my strange mindset satiated for the moment I Burst out to the hall and continued a brisk pace to follow the path I remembered traversing with Krystal. Within a short time later I skid to a stop in front of the large door to the common area. An abrupt squeak of the shoe and I was next to the pad that opened the bulkhead of a door. Deliberately exaggerating the motion of my hand I poked the glowing button.

A silent hiss could be heard as the door unfastened itself before sliding open mutely. Being able to afford a cursory glance as I walked in I too the chance to do so. Scanning from left to right then back to center I could see that only Cloud, Krystal, Miyu, Phara, and Slippy were left at the rather large oblong oval table. Krystal saw me first and offered a smile. I waved back in a short but still curious reply. Pulling a chair up beside the fennec fox scientist I placed both hands out in front of me, lacing my fingers together.

I looked back to krystal though. Was she wearing and apron. "Hey Krystal?" The blue vixen's ears twitched at the sound of my voice, she turned to me. Yep, an apron. Not wanting to look a fool I decided to ask a reasonable question. "Where are the others at? I mean Peppy is most likely on the bridge or so on doing what it is he does but like," I gestured over the large empty space around us. "Where?"

She leaned back and dusted off her front, making the fabric of the cooking attire flutter. "You would be right about Peppy. As for the others they decided to go out shopping for the morning to help pass the time."

"Ah." Was my bland response. "So why have the rest of you not gone as well. Besides you and Cloud of course?" I spoke to Krystal yet it was more of a open ended question.

"I have some work to do with the Arwings today. Make sure that they are in working order." The toad spoke up in his iconic squeaky voice.

I Gazed over to Miyu who was idly rolling what looked to be a potato on her plate, head lay next to the plate. "How about you miss throw-me-out-of-bed?" She gave a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes lazily traced the path her food took as she pushed it around. She looked positively bored. An odd flip in mood to be sure from when she violently pulled me from sleep. I just looked to Phara instead. "And how about yourself?"

She stopped eating her food and placed her fork down. "I am going to go along and help Slippy with the ships. After all I used to work on them for a living 'till I joined this team of course." She pivoted her self on her chair to look at me directly. "This may be sudden but do you think later today I could talk to you? Any time you want just drop by the hangar?"

I tilted my head to the side in thought at the prospect. "I guess so. I never did get a chance to talk to you yesterday with all that happened anyway." I remembered something. "Oh, and Katt. Never talked to her either."

The fennec got up from her seat and began to walk away. "Great! Just drop on by the hangar any time. Come on Slippy." She called out to the toad who quickly scrambled after her. I continued to watch them until they were out of sight.

"What a lively bunch you lot are." I saw the lynx still fiddling with her food still. Sort of.

I heard a melodic giggle next to me. It made jump slightly, causing another giggle to leave Krystal's mouth. "We can be. Same can be said for you, Sevv." I felt like I needed further context but found my attention otherwise occupied by a plate being placed in front of me. "Eat up. We have quite the day ahead of us."

I thanked as she walked away from me back to the kitchen. Grabbing a fork the was set aside prior to me arriving I was about to poke the utensil into the prepared food but found myself stop, mouth hanging open at the site.

"What's the matter? Don't like the food?"

I closed my mouth and lifted my head to find Cloud giving me a awfully perplexed look. I shook my head rapidly to dissuade any wrong think. "It is not that at all. In fact quite the opposite. I have the same food where I come from believe it or not."

I saw her swallow some food of her own. "Really? Is that not the most convenient thing for you, now?"

Nodding dumbly I turned back to the food in front of me, sticking a fork into the hash browns. With and eased movement I brought said food to my mouth before chewing. I felt my face light up. "Krystal! This is good. Thanks so much." I heard a pleased hum and kept eating. The hash browns lasted maybe only a minute before I dug into the rest, Cramming it down. Next thing I knew is that within the last few minutes I had finished my entire plate.

Cloud blinked. "Slow it down next time, ya?" I gave a thumbs up while I covered my mouth to burp. She sighed. "I swear man, you are going to die like that."

"Then I will die happy." The lynx stood abruptly and walked out of the room. "Se ya later Miyu!" I called after her. She raised a hand up in the air to give me some form of acknowledgment. "Why is she so bummed anyway?" I raised the query when I was sure the cat was out of earshot.

With a clank Cloud had put her fork on the plate, now done too apparently. "She just gets like that when she finds out she will be the only one left out. She likes to be around her friends I guess despite her rough exterior."

"So just like any normal guy right? If me or any of my buds were stuck by ourselves we had a drop off in mood."

"I guess so. She can be like 'one of the guys' at times despite the obvious." She signaled towards her chest with her hands.

"Despite being a girl. Hm?" I concluded for Fox. She affirmed that with a simple nod of the head. "So what now though?" I decided to speak out about the main event for today. It would be good to know the plan when meeting a military officer. Especially one so high in status as Pepper.

I heard a 'hm' as she moved to stand and walk over to my side of the table. She pulled up a chair next to me and leaned forward like a football player discussing the game plan. "We walk you straight there in broad daylight with myself and Krytal," She jabbed a thumb back at the mentioned fox who was finishing cleaning up. "And strut yourself straight in, cooperating with the security officials, of course."

I quirked my lips to the left in a puckered fashion. It did not exactly exude confidence into me. "Are you sure that would be the correct choice? The amount of your people I sent scrambling with that pack of defense force on my rear was immense."

"If it makes you feel any better I'll put the handcuffs on before we enter the complex."

The urge to make a bondage joke at her expense was driven away by the importance of the situation. "I think it may. It would look better to everyone else for sure though considering I dragged you off at gunpoint."

Cloud moved to speak again but was interrupted by a rambunctious lynx flying into the room and leaping onto the couch. She raised a hand so we could see it and made a few gestures. "Ignore me. Just going to pass some time."

The cream colored fox exuded a great breath of air at the sudden intrusion to the conversation. "Like I was about to say, That is the point I am trying to make by walking you back to where you had originally popped in from. If they see you doing nothing with no such thing like bindings or guns to dissuade you it could change the opinion."

She had the right idea for sure. "You are are pretty damn smart you know that, Cloud?" She leaned back in the chair and smiled at me.

"Thanks."

I heard a grunt. "If you two are going to fuck get a room please."

"Miyu!" Cloud's ears flattened as her eyes narrowed towards the most provocative member of the team. "We were not going to... do that." I slapped my face, knowing that poor fox just gave the lynx more ammunition.

True to what I said she popped up from behind the backrest of the couch and propped herself up on her arm. Her grin was enough to make me turn away. "Do that? Do what? I can't exactly extrapolate what you mean by, that." Just to think her grin could not widen any more, it did. "Can you please specify."

Fox's face burned up, turning such a bright red that it was even visible through her fur. I saw her legs clamp shut in an attempt to busy herself with other things. I stepped up from my seated position and waltzed on over towards the couch the lynx lay upon. Her eyes traveled over to me. Her brow implying what she was going to ask.

"You said you wanted a bud to play the video games with right." Her face came back to normal, blinking in a struck back stance. "Keep teasing Cloud and I won't play with you." I leaned in to her large perky ears. "Consider this pay back for earlier, Kitten." I whispered softly and with a wink I came out of her personal space and back to leaning on the couch.

Miyu narrowed her eyes at me. She kept staring until small smirk appeared. "All right, fine. I'll leave her alone for now but any and all bets are off after today."

"That is fine with me. We all know how bad Cloud is with teasing."

I heard Cloud interject at that. "That is so not true! Krystal help a girl out?"

"Cloud can handle teasing just not the assertive kind when it is thrown at her." Krystal was done cleaning by now and was standing next to her recently embarrassed friend. She touched a hand to the other fox's back and gave a gentle pat. "We need to get moving soon anyway if we wish to get there and back before dinner."

"All right, I will go wait outside for you two then. Don't take too long."

"We won't." I responded as Cloud walked out of the room, hands in her jacket pockets. "Now Miyu Be a good girl while the parents are out."

"Fuck you." She growled.

I made a hurt noise. "Ah, kitten. I thought we taught you better than that." I tutted at her.

"This kitten has fangs, you know."

"Yes, and great for smiles not scowls, sweetheart."

"I-" She stood upright so fast it was like stepping on the end of a rake. She had her ears tilted and turned all the way forward listening intently now. "Mew?" I felt my heart melt at the sound. Did I seriously catch her off guard that bad? Miyu Lynx? "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Payback." I boldly replied.

"Payback?" She seemed to reminisce for a moment. Her ears went back to her normal positions as she plopped back down on the couch cushions. "Fine, fine you win that one. I won't let you off so easily next time though."

I took the warning in stride and singed over to Krystal to follow. She came up to me from where she was standing near the table and fell into step as I began to head out the room. Making our way on in the hallways of the, somewhat, labyrinth of the great fox I could not help but keep thinking about the Talk I will need to have with Pepper. What if he does not forgive what happened back in that office. This pardon I was seeking was the literal thing between me and a life time spent in a cell.

Did I run if things went sour? I mean was it truly worth proving I am not a threat when it comes to either life time or life. Despite this being a new land life is more important. If things had to come down to it I may had to do some real damage to get out this time. A simple jump out a window to some awnings below would not work this time around.

I felt my hands heat and start to sweat. Did I not have enough of running back home? A hand clasped mine. I would have jumped away and flew into a wall if Krystal did not have such an abnormally strong grip. I felt my heart pounding in my ear. That truly scared me. All this stress was a terrible thing.

"Your scared I can get that. I've felt what you have as you know." She squeezed my hand slightly. "When I lost my planet I found myself in a dark place with no friends and no family. Then a few years later I get to this planet with dinosaurs, get captured, eventually rescued, and lastly found solstice among new friends despite having lost mine not too long ago."

"Are you happy with these new friends? Do you know you can trust them? Do not take that out of context, I just mean that I know you guys but I don't _know_ you guys. I have had buddies of mine in the armed forces and the last thing I expected was a stab in the back." I smacked my tongue on the top of my mouth in distaste. "Literally a stab in the back."

Ears lowered, Krystal spoke softly. "I saw that. It must have been hard for you to handle cope. How long did you know him exactly. I could never get the complete details?"

"For a long time. Even longer than that really. We had met a few years prior and did everything together from going to hang out to the horribly mundane task of help each other move. We barely fought, got along well, and agreed on so many things. How does someone you have so much in common with betray you and themselves? It just proves that you can know people but you will never know them."

"You're so on guard, Sevv. You need to lower that and come back out into the world. Me, Cloud, even people like Fal are here for you, to help you."

We took a turn and came to the final corridor. "I can gather that much. I just have some holes to patch."

"And this hole?"

"I buried it. Never thought of it, never spoke of it. Followed the philosophy of out of sight out of mind to keep myself separated from the memory. Almost worked for a while too." I glanced to her. "Your too good at digging around in my mind." I felt her giggle in my mind to add to the point. I rolled my eyes and freed my hand from her grasp to open the door outside. "Right. Time for a field trip"

Stepping down the ramp to the dock below I kept my eyes out for the regular citizens reaction. None just yet but I should expect that when we were a good distance away so making out detail was difficult at best when looking at moving figures. It was only when we came out into the more open area of the star port. Reactions varying from the perplexed to the scared and fleeing individual.

I did a full 360 while I kept moving to get a look around the place. No Cloud in sight. "I think she moved outside to wait for us."

"Reasonable to think so. Cloud does not like waiting." I heard Krystal reply.

"Nooooooooo. I never knew that. Not like I have seen how you guys react in a work of fiction before."

"And here you are. With us. Real."

A click of my tongue. "Ya."

Disregarding the looks from the passer by I made doubly sure to stay shoulder to shoulder to Krystal. If it was not obvious others may get it wrong. I cracked my neck. No they would get it wrong somehow. Lay it out for people and they jump to conclusions even if it runs counter intuitively to what was really displayed. Taking a quick reduction is walk speed as the doors opened I found Cloud sitting on a bench not even a few feet away. She was sprawled across the large seat with a pad device she had on her hands, tapping and scrolling as she waited time to pass.

Kysrtal stepped past me and looked down on the fox. She sighed and grabbed the electronic away from her. Now just like a kid asking for a portable game system back the cerulean dangled it above Cloud's head by its corner. "I know you hate to sit around sometimes but at least pay attention when you do."

Cloud groaned. "Ah come on. You guys were taking soooo long though, not my fault." Very similar to a pouting child. "I was planted here for the last ten minutes."

"Just pay attention. Can you do that Cloud?" Krystal began to slowly lower the device she had seized down to Fox's face.

Fox snatched it away and placed it in a large pocket on the inside of her jacket. Wiping herself down as if to ask Krystal not to touch her toys. "Fine, fine. I could do that from now on." The flight jacket fluttered as she turned to stare over at me. "We want to get this done soon so let's get going, Sevv."

"Sounds good." I bounced back towards krystal and adjusted my position to be in between both Krystal and Cloud. With my position now fully established we made our first true step a rather crucial meeting in a building that was more likely to throw me in jail than to throw a hand out to shake on it.

While on the subject of what was more likely. The citizens of this planet were more likely to stop in place and stare. It made me instantly regret not bringing that coat I had left back in my room. The urge was there to pull up that large hood is was paired with and become instantly dulled to the looks. That would be a unfortunate negative regarding what this whole excursion was really all about. A huge hood and bulky layer of clothing would obscure my visage, the main point to this walk. A publicity stunt.

Despite the goal and the impact this could have it was still unnerving to feel the judging glare and hear clicks and snaps. I felt my head lower as a result. With the urge to use Krystal and Cloud as a kind of privacy curtain I kept it fought back, using them as a means to hide was wrong. Not only that but it would give the impression that I was hiding something like a criminal shying away from a camera on the corner of the street.

A criminal I was not.

For a moment it made me feel better. Only a moment though. I had still shot them, ran from them, and what seems to be an assault on a commanding officer. Sure I never brought real harm to any of my pursuers but from the perspective of one looking in, I was a violent thing they had never seen. Now I was out among the masses and it scared them. The only line between me and them was the two ladies next to me. All the pedestrians seemed not to notice that they were not my guard but an effort to calm the disgruntled minds of yesterdays incident. Though if I was to say something, they were right.

It was my fault that Pepper had a aching head. It was my fault that a few Cornerian defense force units were in a hospital bed. Superficial wounds or not. It was my fault and I had to own up to it, make the right from my wrongs. Just was I to do that? It took no effort for me to scare others at this point. What I needed was a fulcrum. A major but simple event that played the pivotal role of proving I was not indeed here for violence and the cause of harm. Question was – what?

Rounding a corner and observing how the crowds dispersed as we did reminded me of kindergarten when cooties roamed every child's mind. They backed off towards the streets and flowed around us and to the rear. Truly like cooties. Other avoided you like the plague but they always followed to keep track of your whereabouts to keep tabs on who or what you interacted with. Here were the citizens of this world doing just that. Staying far like their lives depended on it and then keeping some what of a pace to record interaction. Some even held what looked to be phones or cameras.

I never felt my eye trace too far away from the center of my vision. I kept my head straight to keep myself from engaging in a locking of eyes. They may take it as a threat or even an invite over to speak. The ladder posed more of a threat. I had already earned a dangerous reputation the last thing I needed was some reporter or random asking questions and throwing accusations. It may not seem like a bad idea to talk but if the media decided to twist my words for the sake of a story, they would.

I leaned towards Cloud with a crane of the neck and a slight contortion of the spine. "When are we going to get there? Not to sound rushed or anything but I think some reporters are gaining enough courage to approach. In my opinion, a bad thing."

Cloud nodded and twisted her head to the side so her muzzle was closer to my ear. "Not too far now. It should be at the end of this street here. Just wait five more minutes or so."

We straightened back up and returned our heads to their natural place. I squinted my eyes to look at the end of the street. If that was the military building, it looked more like a high tech gym. I never did get a good look at it as I was running away from said place in a panic stricken state.

Once a few minutes of walking had passed I began to make out the exterior security measures. A large fortified fence encompassed the perimeter with barbed wire hanging outwards. Several guards roamed the exterior and interior of the compound fence keeping vigilant with guns slung. A heavy metal gate barred the entrance with a rather imposing bear looming out front. It made me wonder if I had major luck when escaping.

Daunted by the thought of my escape being luck I suddenly felt stricken to stick closer to my escorts. I pulled my hands from my pockets. I skid to a stop and saw Cloud and Krystal realize immediately. They turned round to me and had looks that varied between reassurance and worry. Trouble was I had no idea whether they meant either or both. Regardless I stuck my hands out and held them closer together.

The two looked to one another before focusing back on me as Cloud pulled a similar restraint from her pocket. Stepping up to parallel herself with my body she clasped the cuffs around my wrists and with a movement of her hands they clamped down farther to surely lock me in. I winced at the feeling. It made my arms feel numb.

Presenting zero threat now, I approached the guard at the gate, the big brown bear. He looked me up and down and noticed the cuffs. I could see the dots quickly connect in his mind as he lowered his tall stature to come level with mine. He gave a aggressive chuff.

"You're that guy that attacked the general." He snarled and bared his fangs at me. "Lucky I wasn't there. I would have made you into paste on the walls." My eye twitched at the threat. I just pushed a retort down and hoped it went unnoticed. Of course it was. "Think you're so tough do ya, stranger?" He sneered.

I took a deep breath. He was just trying to egg me on. "Look, I am here to talk to Pepper about the whole ordeal. It was a misunderstanding that needs to be cleared up."

"Then why are you in handcuffs? Hmmmmm?" He sneered at me. "Why would a guy trying to clear things up come in heavy duty restraints when they say it was a – misunderstanding?"

"I walked here without them. Tried to make myself look good from all the commotion the occurred yesterday. The cuffs are for a show of trust in a matter of speaking." I then pointed over to Fox as best I could. "Look she's fine, I did nothing to her. I used her as a ruse sure, but it was consensual, and notice how she has not a single scuff or scratch on her body? I did nothing and want to prove my innocence."

I heard Cloud smack her lips just then. "Can you just open the damn gate so we can do what we came here for? Like see Pepper?"

A long growl came from the bear's muzzle as he brought a hand up to punch in a code on his wrist mounted device. The gate unlocked with a loud bolting noise and slid open to either side allowing us access.

With a pointed stare as I walked past the guard I found myself in the same place I had run away from. A military compound. A jail for high profile criminals, and my point of arrival to this world. A rather grueling area to be thrown into from another dimension. A dimension that might have been responsible for the core happenings of this reality. I saw Cloud talk to yet another guard at the doors to the inside of the building. Well, maybe not for all of it but definitely most. What if our writings and designs of fiction gained a reality in another place?

Was I indirectly part of the loss of Krystal's home world by playing a game and engaging in a community that has continued to pump out content even to today? A foreboding thought to be sure. What was the saying? No good deed goes unpunished. It certainly applied to this if thought of in the light that the creation of a new universe has led to many misfortunes.

Torn from my mind I suddenly found myself being ushered through a thick single door where I was then lead into the room. Krystal pointed me to a chair for me to sit in. It was a metal chair with no cushions for comfort and in front of it, a metal table. Despite the nagging feeling of a stereotypical interrogation happening to me I planted myself down on the seat.

"You aren't going to stay?" I asked as I saw both vixens exiting the room after I took my seat. They simply shook their head with a look that said they would be waiting outside. They closed the door behind them. I was left alone now. "Well alright then. Twenty questions it is."

The door pulled inward just then to reveal a dog that I knew. He stepped in, hands behind his back as he paced casually over to the table. I looked to his head where an ice pack was perched atop with a single strap of a bandage. I must have really hit him hard.

The old general sat himself down in a chair identical to mine. While fully situating himself with the seat his hand came from out from behind his back to produce a few papers and three pictures. He slid the pictures over to me and came back to sit against his chairs backrest. I glanced down for a moment to look at the pictures and found myself speechless.

One had me running out of the complex. The next was of me attempting to gain ground from my pursuers and the last was of me shooting the one man I had encountered in the alley. Altering my attention to the general now I gave him a raised brow with a confused face. When had they taken these of me? They had no reporters on me the whole time, just when I had to use Fox as a hostage.

Pepper then broke his silence. "You had certainly caused us a whole lot of problems in the past 24 hours that have passed. You knock me out, shoot a few of my men, and have the public breathing down my neck about you. Now you're a world wide headline across every news outlet. Then I get word from Cloud that you are in fact a being from an alternate reality that states out existence as a fictional game to be played. Not only that but all that transpired the other day was all a accident that spiraled rapidly out of control." I shook my head up and down. He took a breath at that. "Mind telling me the whole story?"

"It is a bit of a short story. I mean I have no idea what happened myself or how I got here." I started. "I was just suddenly here and on top of your head. Sorry about that by the way." He signaled for me to proceed as an acceptance of the apology. "Then I run out as I had no way to prove my true intent to your men who had heard the commotion and enter to see you under me. Next thing I know I find a small portion of Star fox walking around, use one as a lamb so we could go and talk. Get to their ship and sleep there, now I'm here."

"That's..." He trailed off as he moved his mouth in an attempt to form words. "Rather extraordinary, if it is true. Can you prove it to me?" He aced his fingers and leaned towards the table. "As much faith as I want to put in to Cloud and Krystal saying that they have a semblance of trust with you, I must conduct this in the fashion of a proper investigation. I am after all not allowed to let personal matters interfere with the matters I involve myself in."

I found a giddy grin splay across my face at that. I had just gained massive respect for this old man. I rolled my shoulders and placed my hands on the desk. "Are you willing to get these off of me in exchange for a point of proof?" The hound reached into his red jacketed uniform and pulled a key from his palm to his fingers. He brought his hands over and slotted the key into the lock. With a turn they fell off my wrists. "Thanks." He gave acknowledgment, coming back in his chair to observe me at the farthest opposite end of the table. "I know that you offered Star Fox a official commission for the defense force."

"Come again?"

"You heard me. You offered Cloud a official commission to which she declined. Something about wanting to 'go their own way' as it went."

A hum. I gauged him carefully. He seemed to be impressed that I knew that. After all, the military handing a commission to a band of mercenaries would create some controversy if word got out to the public. He scratched his chin and came back to reality.

"I could go off on that I think. I will make some arrangements with the press and tell them the good news."

"Which is?" I implored him to elaborate his statement.

"Which is, you are a man out of your own time that came here in very unfortunate circumstances. You landed on top of me upon entry to this world, ran in fear for your life and shot back." He stopped for a moment of thought. "I thank you for only using stun. How did you know how to use it?"

"Not that hard really. Simple as switching between semi-auto and full auto with the firearms back where I come from."

His interest peeked at that. "Firearms?" The query came in a puzzled response. "With the mention of these weapons, did your people get into many fights?"

"Quite often." I answered. "In fact we had a war just recently, if recently is even the proper term of concept. I mean our time must be different in comparison with it being in other dimensions and what not."

"Hmm. How long did you fight in this war for?"

"Oh, I joined near the end so I only got like a few months worth of fight. It was enough to be sick of it, enough to change me. I experienced more in that span of time than all the time I spent in our educational system. Sure fighting is not exactly a practical skill but there was just so much to fighting and when to use such techniques only furthered the gap in the participant of it."

"How astute of you. How old are you?"

I was caught unprepared for the question. I moved to scratch at the line of my jaw. "I'm 18, close to 19 now."

He sagely tilted his up to the ceiling. "I have met many people over the years I have been in just this ranking position. So I know, and have seen, many types of intellectual levels. You have to be among the highest of them."

"I..." My eyes widened to the compliment. How did I even respond to that. The general must have sensed my discomfort as he raised a hand up to keep me from speaking. I did so and swallowed and grouping of spit forming in my mouth.

"Relax. Relax." He laughed jollily. "No need to come with a retort. I was just simply stating that you have a rather good head on you for someone so young, so early in the discovery of life."

 _You two boys seem to be getting along rather well._

"Fuck me!" I yelped at the intrusion to my mind. It sent me reeling in my chair causing the seat to skate back a few feet or so. I would have thought I was used to this sudden surprise theme already. "Krystal! Damn you woman, scared me half to death." I felt me heart banging around inside my chest. "At least a mile an hour. Give me some warning next time or start off with a single word like hello." I heard a sort of ghostly giggle in my head. "If you make one smart mouthed remark..." I felt no response. "Now what's up, blue?"

 _Blue?_

"Krystal." I practically begged her in my mind. She sent over a apologetic feeling.

 _Alright, alright. Just say that since this meeting has been dealt with in great time, might I add, we should get back before Miyu digs a hole into the couch._

"Dig a hole in the... couch? Did I hear that right?"

 _Not actually. I just mean I don't want to have to pry her from the cushion with a metal bar._

My mouth dropped open so hard that is made a pop. I twisted my head to the side quickly to constrict my throat to a degree where talking would be extremely hard. Or swearing, swearing the alphabet sounds really good right about now.

 _Try not to hurt yourself._

I straightened my neck back out while rubbing my jaw. "Mmmmmm." I hummed in a sarcastic tone.

 _Just expedite the process a bit please, Sevv."_

I never got to reply, she had already left my thoughts. I cast my gaze to the hound still seated neatly in the chair. His demeanor had never changed once through the one sided conversation with Krystal. Once notice my eyes on him he gave a small smile. I replicated the action. "Sorry about that. Just had a talk with Krystal."

"Ah, yes, Krystal." He recalled fondly. "She is quite exemplary is she not? Fiercely dedicated to the people she holds dear, does what needs to be done, and a good fighter to top it off. Her hand to hand bests many of my best men in the same field."

I gave a knowing look a that. "She did have to fight giant lizard men double to three times her size. She would of had to adapt to the difference in scale. I am sure that her fighting style is a mix match of many different style to allow for more error as it lets her correct the move possibly mid way through the movement. Which in turn adds as a ruse mechanic. Throws them off to her thrown punches and now they have a leg crashing into their abdomen."

"Indeed." He breathed wistfully. "I had a few of my men in the medical ward to double check their well being. She hits very hard."

I inclined my head head to him. "I would love to keep talking to you to help dispel the myths about me and my behaviors but I feel that you will do justice in giving people more faith in me. After a testimony coming from the man I supposedly assaulted and attempted to kill means a large amount."

"I suppose that is true." He lifted himself up from the chair and walked to the heavy metal door. Knocking with odd pattern the door was pushed open. He stepped out into the corridor joining the room to the rest of the complex. "Come walk with me."

I got up and made my way to the door. Ignoring the two stingy looking guards outside at the door I made a quick step over to Pepper. Once near him he began to walk, I followed of course. "A ballsy move General. Taking a trek through your establishment with me in broad sight." He dipped his head. I checked my back quickly. No personnel had followed. "Where are we heading anyway? I don't have to smile and wave do I?"

"Smile and wave, eh?" He scratched the underside of his muzzle in a bemused fashion. He gave a small light chuckle. "I have never heard it that way before. But, simply put, no you will not have to address any of the cameras or reporters no doubt waiting for you outside. I will handle them personally. All you need to do is head back to that ship of yours and give it a few hours to circulate the news."

My eyes drifted towards him. "That is it?" I voiced my concern through the question. "They no doubt have the whole area surrounded in a media frenzy. All desperate for a exclusive interview while frothing at the mouth."

"I have a simple remedy for that. There will be a civilian transport being driven by one of my own. Krystal and Cloud will be joining you on this ride of course. For both saving them from the media as well as making everything convenient ." He says this while he stopped in front of a large window.

This window overlooked the outdoors. The massive grouping of cameras were painfully evident. I joined him in looking out the massive viewing glass. A surplus of soldiers posted as the gate to keep the population under control. "What are we doing here?" I had thought aloud.

"Simple." He chortled. "We play a game of patience and dedication while standing here where visibility is high." A vigorous incline of his head as if to reaffirm the action to himself.

"You plan to have us spotted together." Not a question.

"Hmmm." He hummed back to me while keeping his vision dedicated to the mass of news personnel. "Ah, I think we may have a taker." He gently directed me to the person he noticed. They stood farther off to the side, seeming to bob their head side to side. Quickly they stopped and turned to others, making frantic motions. "A taker indeed. Faster than I thought it would take, honestly."

With all the commotion going about this one individual the rest caught on quick as they shifted over to where the lone reporter had placed themselves. I could see camera flashes erupt in such frequencies that it was nearly blinding to look at. Twisting on a heel I spun to face Pepper so as to lessen the flashes. What surprised me was he had already turned to me, hand extended in an open fashion.

"Shake it. It will make it look good. Water under a bridge."

I felt stupid. I immediately latched on to his hand and with a firm and once over shake we disengaged the action. I could see a few of the photographers scampering off, holding their device like a prize. I laughed at that. Take what you can get in the industry, right?

We had walked off right after that, taking another bend in the building to progress further. It did not take too much longer to reach the prior appointed destination where the mode of transport resided. It very much resembled a hovercraft the way it was designed. With the sleek curvature and lower profile it had the appearance of floating when the wheels were just tucked away out of sight. I had to tilt my head at the sight of it. Such a unique concept of vehicles this world has.

I gave myself a slight smack on the side of my face. I would have time to criticize later on their choices of design. For now I had to get in the car and wait for Cloud and Krystal. Where are they? I thought as my hand grasped at the doors handle. With a easy yank the door came free from the latches keeping it in place and swung open. Ducking my head down and bending down to about halfway so as to fit into the car. Planting myself on the seat I looked at the interior of the car, I pursed my lips at what I saw.

The insides were cramped. They were even more so since it was blatantly apparent that the two vixens had been in the car long before me. Each of them giving me a expectant look.

"What?" I asked cynically.

"Took you long enough." Cloud replied while sticking one hand up into the air and giving it a twirl before it came back down to rest at her side. "We thought we were going to have come and drag you away from your talk with Pepper. How did it go anyway?"

I crossed my arms to keep them from invading krystal's personal space as she was sat directly next to me. "It went better than I thought it would. No idea why I was so worried before, Pepper is a good man."

Cloud bobbed her head in a yes. "That he is. I have known him for many years and never once has he failed to do the right thing." Krystal voiced her agreement in a short affirmative hum, looking out the window to her side.

"It seems as though you have really stirred up the press here. They seem to be practically clawing at the gate to get inside and ask questions relevant to yourself."

"Ha!" I scoffed at the notion. "I am not some new fad to be discovered and exploited. I have plans! Ambitions to come true!" I paused. "As soon as I figure out what those ambitions are. Until then I guess I'll just hang around for now."

"What was that?" Krystal twisted her head around my way. "You're not planning on leaving so soon, right? I mean you just got here and I find you to be a amusing addition to the team."

I quickly shook my head at her response. "No. God no. I plan on staying with this merry band for as long as I can. I am just saying I might have things of my own to do from time to time when I figure out what it is that I want or need." The blue vixen smiled at me.

Cloud shifted on her rear end getting a comfortable seated poise. "Good. You just joined our 'merry band' the other day. There would have been no point to offering you a room and a spot on the team if you were to just leave at the moments notice."

A simple response was to shake my head. What kind of person would that have made me, to leave when I had just assimilated. A liar, vagabond, and a conman to name a few off the top of head. I placed my hands behind my head and stretched, lifting my midsection off the seat slightly. There was no way I would turn out like the one friend I had counted on, only to be betrayed and lied to.

Despite the serious thought I found a foolishly stupid smile play across my mouth. I think it was honestly the fact that the people here, in this reality and universe, were worth fighting for. Worth sticking my neck out for. They all seemed like good people. Of course they had their fair share of trouble makers and deplorable men and women. Honestly the air here felt open and fresh, free of many silly social restrictions.

Not to mention with the types of things I saw the girls on the ship wearing they were no doubt a bit more sexually liberated then human civilization. Miyu adorning nothing but sporting wear or some kind of extreme casual clothes. Then you had Cloud clad in a jacket that was more of an accessory with it only coming down to her waist, her top extending only slightly further than that allowed her white belly fur to show her prominent mid riff. Now Krystal was, well, Krystal in her tight suit.

Getting a sudden snirk and giggle from Krystal I widened my eyes. She had a single hand covering her mouth in a certain fashion that implied her knowing of my inner voices. Not just that but the incredibly coy smirk creeping up her muzzle. My eyes went flat with expression and my smile disappeared. I balled a fist up and gave a quick hit to her shoulder.

As if hitting a button she burst out laughing in mirth. Keeling over forward before coming back up for air she wiped her eyes for tears that were forming. "Quite the active imagination you have there."

"I will hit you again, woman. Harder this time."

"My, my." A hand came to her face as her finger twiddled in a thoughtful and teasing movement.

Cloud looked on in bewilderment, her ear cocked and brow raised.

Get me out of this confounded prison of privacy invasion!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: No I am not dead.

Sorry though guys. Seriously. I just had to do some things to get ready and into college for a welding course. I really did intend to put this out way earlier but it just kept being pushed farther and farther back. Plus I have been a little stuck on a game called Shadow Warrior 2.

* * *

BTW I am still going to finish this story. I have more ideas I want to get to as soon as I can. So with the massive gap in writing this story I may have lost my groove a bit so forgive me a bit for that. Anyways I hope you enjoy reading this.

The moment I felt our ride back to the Great Fox's hangar touch down on the smaller auxiliary landing pad I had leaped out in a means of escape from the small enclosed space of a hover car. I took in as big a breathe as my lungs would allow and exhaled in a long and suppressed sigh. I turned my head around to get a glance at the two others getting out of the car. Cloud was mid stretch as she rounded about the transport before sitting down on some crates. Meanwhile Krystal, taking her sweet time through it all, was just closing the door and as she did I felt her looking at me funnily in her periphery vision.

Feeling the hairs on the back of my neck raise at that I began to walk away when Cloud grabbed me by the back of my shoulders. Letting out a breath I spun around to face her. Her green eyes bore into mine with a questioning yet compassionate glare. I knew what she was going to ask. "I am ok, Cloud. Just getting away from the blue terror back there." I pointed back to Krystal who still held that passive glare to me in her sideways glances.

Cloud looked back to said blue vixen and came back around to face me. She nodded her head, a soothing smile spreading across her muzzle. "Alright. I am just making sure." She removed her hand from my upper arm and backed up slightly. How did she cover that ground so fast anyways? "Sevv, this has to be hard on you." She began. "I have no idea what it feels like to be torn from all that you thought was true but just know that we are all here for you." She gave me a quick one armed hug before pulling back. "After all, you are part of the team."

"Sure." Was the only thing that I managed to formulate while staring at her blankly. It seemed she knew the look.

"Look." She poked my chest with a finger. "I know trusting others may not come as easy as it once did but know that you can talk to any of us if you need it." Cloud's face turned stern. "Alright?"

I scratched behind my head but gave a clear nod anyways. "Was I giving you the impression that I do not trust you guys?"

"Krystal told me back at the base, when you talked to general Pepper." Cloud rubbed her arm as if nervous to say what she was about to say. After a few deep breaths she continued. "Told me the graphic details of what one of your friends did to you. All that he did." Her ears fell as her eyes did the same while staring at the floor. "Losing your whole squad. With the betrayal of a friend no less." Cloud muttered out to me as her posture stiffened with each word.

Suddenly finding a frown on my own face I walked a bit closer to the cream colored fox. Reaching out and placing a hand on her head I rubbed between her ears. "Take it easy." I started to talk with as reassuring a voice I could muster. "What happened to me was not easy to take and I can't really deny that I am not messed up from it." I removed my hand from her head and gave her a tap on the nose. too soft. "But look at it this way. I got the bastard in the end of it all and now I am in a world that offers me a new start with new people." I grazed one of my hands through my hair. "Really different people. People that I already sort of trusted from the start."

That seemed to get Fox's attention as she whipped her head to look directly at me rather than that sideways glance she was using. "Already trusted us from the start? What do you mean?"

I gave her a one armed shrug to dismiss her question. "I come from a world where you were a fictional character. I already knew the base of your character as well as the others for that matter. Some things are different, obviously." Once again I rubbed at the back of my head. This time out of embarrassment. "I mean you and Falco- um, Fal being girls was a big smack to my senses."

Her ears popped back up and her confident and cool demeanor came back almost instantly. "I bet." Finally loosening her stance she brushed herself off as if to rub all the worries away. Looking at me in a new light seemingly she lunged out and pressed herself up against me, throwing both of her arms around my back. "Thank you." She mumbled into my chest.

Cocking a brow and holding my arms out to the side slightly I cleared my throat. "So uuuuuhhhh..." I started terribly. "What brought this whole thing on anyways? That and the very sudden hug you have so graciously bestowed upon me."

Cloud made an um sound in a hum. "Krystal said that I should talk to you about your problem." I remained still as she turned her head to stare up to my chin. "She said that you had a way with words and could help me with my problem."

"Your problem?" I asked and I felt a nod. I sighed. "Could you not have done this somewhere more private?" I asked as I looked around the spaceport to see if we had attracted any attention. "Discussing your problems in public at the end of a dock is not ideal, you know?"

"I know that but Krystal insisted that I do this now." Sparing a quick glance over to the blue vixen she was standing by a stack of crates looking away from us. "Hey?" I gave a hum as I canted my head to look to the previously downtrodden fox. "Do you think we can talk again some time?"

"About your fear of losing your friends and teammates? Ya, we can do that." I gave a slight tug to see if she wanted to let go. She did not. "Hopefully in the ship next time."

A laugh squeaked its way out of Cloud's mouth at that. "That would have been preferable to be honest, but like I said, Krystal pushed me to do this now."

"I see." Cloud finally let go now not so sure about herself. "So about the glomping?" I asked with a accusatory glance.

"Sorry." Cloud apologized. "It is just I never had people to talk to this about before."

"What about Krystal? I mean she is the telepath after all and can easily tell what was bothering you."

"Well, ya." The fox reluctantly confirmed. "But I guess since she never brought it up we just never talked about it. Or maybe she thought that someone else would be the best way to solve it."

"Cloud?" I interrupted her chain of thought.

"Ya?"

"The hug?"

"You have a very nice air about you. That was what Krystal said anyways and I guess I just really caught on to it and acted on instinct."

I crossed my arms. "The instinct to hug?" I said with a smile and Fox backed up a step.

"I-" Before she could finish her thought she clamped her muzzle shut as her eyes darted nervously.

"Ha." I gave a laugh at her expense. "I am only teasing you Cloud. Relax." At saying that the stress seemed to spew out of her pointed ears. Her nervous appearance was replaced with that of a relieved one as she let out a breath.

"Okay. Thanks for the talk though, Sevv." I gave a courteous tilt of my head. "I have to head out with Krystal again though. We have to go and talk to some new sources about the situation and what to expect seeing as how I am now responsible for you." With that she quickly left, dragging Krystal along with her. Whom look mighty pleased with herself.

Brushing off the hug with a shake of the head I made my way up the boarding ramp. At the keypad I remember seeing the code that they intended for me to see. Taking my time to remember I punched in the six digit code. I was answered by a small buzz before the door slid wide. Stepping inside the fabled ships' interior I felt the door close behind me and gave a shake of my upper body. I really hated being the center of attention. With a deliberate purpose I set out for the common room. I had a appointment to keep with a certain lynx.

Staring blankly at the signs that seldom passed as well as a door or to as I passed them. I still was not able to process what had happened fully yet. My mind kept just telling me I was in a really expensive building back in my world. I had to actively remind myself that I was in a new universe. It reminded me of my first time going to high school. Prior to the war of course. Vivid memories of sitting in a bland classroom filled with people that did not understand how the world worked mush less how humans actually behaved.

This fit that same scenario to a point of course. It came with all the confusion of the new surroundings and somehow relating them back to that of a elementary school class. Luckily all of the fellows I shared those many different rooms with were not here with me. It made me happy to be where I was but at the same time, sad, almost depressed. Nothing here was similar in the way it should. To be honest it could be the reason why my mind refuses to accept my surroundings and current situation. The human mind had a nasty habit to grasp and desperately cling to that which you understand all the while shoving all that challenges your view aside.

The fear of the unknown. It was humanities greatest enemy. The nagging voice in the back of your mind to shun that which you do not, or refuse to, understand. I blame it as the primary factor to why humans took as long as we did to evolve socially.

Rounding the final corner that lead towards my destination I felt a fear of dread. Of course with all of the terrible things that happened in the war, it made me rethink that. Were we humans really above a primal level of social intelligence? After all I did a lot of things that I was not proud to do and some I was thrilled to do. Hurting those that hurt people of which you care deeply for. Be it from gunning them down, stabbing them, or just getting the bluntest object you can find. It gave me a massive rush. Made me feel like I was protecting someone.

A throbbing pain came from my head. I grasped at it as I leaned against the door to the main room of the ship. It was wrong though. Killing all of those people sometimes brutally. They had families to, lives to live. They were human like me. I feel like many forget that the one that you look at through your cross hairs are just as alive as yourself. Demonize the enemy to make killing them easy. A scary thought. Strip a being of what makes them like you to justify killing them. Maybe it was the right thing to do, maybe it was not.

Rubbing at my eyes with my wrists to help shut out the light making the shot of pain worse. Finding my balance while doing so I opened the door to step through on into a now familiar room to me. Bringing my sight to rest on a sofa sat in front of the large television I observed two black tipped ears perched atop a lynx with her small loose fitting shirt with very short shorts on legs that sat crossed under her. She was slightly hunched over with a controller in her hands, her face full of a playful focus.

It made me smile ear to ear. This was my first real opportunity to start over fresh from the war. I was in a new world with new people that looked akin to animals. A fresh start means I can do what I want. No ruthless gunfights with opposing sides, no moral dilemmas everyday. Sure my past would come back to haunt me but I was far away from the past that happened. A whole universe. With these characters that I already have a understanding of as well as a level of admiration for.

Walking quietly up behind the preoccupied feline I gave her a tap on the shoulder. "Hey." Her ears twisted on the spot in an attempt to try and turn to the sound of my voice. "I'm back from looking pretty for the cameras."

"Mmmhmm." She hummed, clearly amused at the odd jest. "Take up a spot here." Miyu spoke as she patted a spot of the couch next to her. I obliged to her suggestion and hopped over the backrest of the couch to slump into the sofa. I watched as Miyu played a game, trying to figure out what it was. "So how did it go anyhow? Did you just use the old routine of smile and wave?" I could see her split a grin.

"You would not be entirely wrong on that." I told her. She snickered. "Hey I did talk to the general who-" I paused as something caught up with me. "He knew my name. Cloud." I surmised to myself. "Whatever," I continued. "I talked to Pepper for a good little bit before he lead me to a large windowed area where he shook my hand. He did it so the press could get pictures of me doing something non violent."

"Sounds boring to me. Talk to a big wig type, shake hands and pretend everything is fine and good with the world." She told me as I watched her move her video game persona into a military compound.

I tilted my head to the left in surprise. "Whoa. Where did that come from, Miyu?"

"Just from all the times I have had those very same types breath down my neck, telling me how to do my job." She growled and blasted a virtual guard away with a grenade. "Like any of those desk jockeys would know how to fight. They probably can't even break a candy bar in half."

"Miyu?" I asked her tentatively with one solidly projected word being her name.

She seemed to snap out of her thought. She blinked her dark blue eyes at me. She saw me staring at her and she paused her game before turning the TV off. Pivoting on her rear end she turned her whole body to face me. "Sorry. These guys tend to piss me off to the point of punch them square in the jaw." Placing the controller onto the nearby table she gave a stretch. "So what do you feel like doing?"

"Really?"

"What?"

I sighed and shook my head in disappointment. "You were the one that wanted to play video games and drink, not me. What happened to doing that?"

She gave a unsure improper shrug. "Hell if I know. Too mad to do that now." She stood from the couch and reached her hand out to me. I took it and she pulled me up off from my spot. "Want to come to the training room with me? I really need to work some steam off right now."

"I mean, ya, we could do that." I halfheartedly mentioned while stretching a bit myself. "I guess I could use a bit of a work out. It has been a little while since my last session in a weight room."

"Good!" Miyu all but chirped out and quickly spun to leave. I followed after her. "I needed someone to spot me anyways later today and I don't think anyone is able to do that." She said as she dramatically flung her arms into the air. "Being busy and what not with other things."

"So I noticed. Phara is doing what she does. Katt is out with Fal most likely and Krystal and Cloud have gone off to do what ever it was that they were going to do." Just then I remembered a few others. "Wait what about Fay, Slippy, and Peppy? Are they busy too?"

"Ya." The lynx confirmed my question. "Fay is helping Slippy with the Arwings and Peppy is too old of a hare to effectively spot me."

"You lift a lot I guess?"

Miyu turned her head to look at my out the side of one of her eyes. A smile slowly formed on her face. "Hell ya. My limit is about 180 pounds."

My brow cocked as I highly doubted that. "180?" I tried to clarify by asking again and she gave me a nod. I scoffed at that. "You know you certainly don't look like a girl with that much muscle on her." It was true. While not skinny or even fit, she had a body of an experienced athlete more than that of a body builder.

"The doctors all said that my muscle fibers were extremely dense. Makes them very efficient apparently." She finished with a shrug. "What about you though?" She asked me with a wave of her hand to grab my attention. "How much can you lift?"

"I can lift my own body weight if that says anything."

I heard her give a hardy laugh at that. "No, no. That doesn't tell me anything at all. I mean I have no idea how much you really weigh."

"220 pounds on the dot."

"Really?" She drew out the word with a teasing tone to it. "Now you don't seem like you have the build for that either." She afforded me a quick glance back.

Placing my hands in my pockets I gave her a roll of my shoulders. "I've got a broad chest and stand over 6'4" tall. You really going to doubt me?"

"Meh." She spouted dejectedly. "I guess you have a point there big man." She suddenly turned on her heel. "Come on, it's right here." Watching the door slide open I stepped alongside Miyu into the training room.

It was rather impressive to say the least about it. Multiple machines meant for working different parts of the body were set in rows along the back and sides of the room. Next to those were the free form weights sitting neatly on their racks from the lightest to the absolute heaviest. Miyu walked to the center of the room and outstretched her arms to either side of herself as she stood on a large mat. It was like she was asking for my opinion. I numbly canted my head towards her as I moved further into the room.

"You guys even have punching bags?" I asked her. "On a space ship? That seems so outrageous and I have no idea why."

Miyu's arms flopped to her sides. "I guess it does but hey when you're angry," She made her way briskly over to one of the hanging bags suspended from a secure rig. "It feels real nice to come over and beat on these babies." To emphasize her point she gave the hanging piece of equipment a quick jab that caused it to rock.

"I can see that." I agreed with her. "It feels nice to hit something when you need it. Sure as hell would not be the first time." I clenched my fist at a memory in my past. "I can remember I punched a hole through a wall. Could have used a punching bag."

One of Miyu's ears twitched at that. "Could have?"

"There was none around. Learned of some things that sent me over the edge and next I know my fist was sent through two layers of drywall." At the thought of it I recalled the look on the face of my commanding officer. I began to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha ha!" I clutched at my side in a brace attempt. "You should have seen the look on their faces after I did that. Priceless. Ha ha, haaaaa."

The lynx blinked slowly. "I can imagine. Did you hurt your hand though?"

"What? No. Aside from the residual feeling after going through I felt nothing. Didn't even get a bruise from it, no injured knuckles, nothing. Confused the living shit out of the nurse that looked me over."

"That is a bit weird. But awesome."

"Heh, ya it kinda was."

Getting to a bench Miyu laid down and shifted herself to get under the weight. She was about to grab onto the bar when she noticed something. She lifted her head to look at me fro just over the top of her chest. "You gonna spot me or what?"

"I- ah, ya. Ya I am." Scrambling over to position myself behind her head while muttering apologies. I readied my hands by placing them just by her hands, not touching the bar. "You're not going to change into other clothes?"

"What? They are really comfy and easy to breath in." She spoke while glaring upwards towards my face. She took the bar off of its rest and slowly lowered it down to above her chest before heaving it back up just as slow with a long exhale. I followed along with her. Hovering my hands just under hers. I saw one her ears give a flick as her eyes narrowed to me. "Were you expecting me to wear something _tighter_." She purred while lowering the bar.

I stiffened and she saw it. "N-No!" I stuttered and it made her smile. "They just seem like they would be your favored lounging clothes." It was a relatively smooth recovery from my stuttered mess of an answer before.

It did nothing to get rid of the lynx's widening smile. A quiet vibration came from her throat. "Cause, I do have tighter, smaller, articles of clothing to wear you know." Her low purr made her voice extremely teasing. Borderline sultry in fact.

I kept my mouth closed at that. For one she was flirting with me while she was lifting weights. Impressive she kept her speech even while exerted. Two, the more I gave in terms of reactions the worse the teasing gets. She wanted to see how far she could go. Still keeping my hands resting under the bar in case I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead.

"Awwww." I heard her pout. "Not going to retort to that?" I remained silent. "Then I will take that as a invite to do so." Startled, my head twitched and I swung my sight back to Miyu's grinning visage. "You heard me right, stud."

That better not become a reoccurring nickname for me now.

"Wh- You- Don't-" I sputtered much to the felines tittering amusement. Counting her tenth rep she kept going. Still giggling to herself. Lifting weights still to remind you. What kind of shit is this chick on anyway? I thought to myself.

"I know I have some booty shorts somewhere." She breathed out as her arms came to be outstretched while she held the weight. She was joking. She had to be joking. It was Miyu after all. "Better yet..." She began again in a pensive voice. "I think I have some nylon shorts as well."

I gave a groan. I suddenly do not feel like working out.

Hitting her twentieth rep marked the completion of her second set. Thinking that she had enough Miyu placed the weighted bar back onto the two prongs that worked as its rest. Sliding out from under she sat upright and jumped up from the bench. She looked to me before pushing me to sit down on the bench. "You're turn big guy. Lets go."

"I am not so sure about doing this. I don't trust you to place you in a position where you hold the advantage by being above me."

"Ah come on!" She complained as she grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me down slightly. "I promise I won't tease you while you're lifting." I stared at her and she caught on. "I promise. If I teased you and you lost hold and hurt yourself, that would not be cool of me."

Licking my lips, unsure about it, I lay down on the rest of the way. "Ok." I called out to her. Her ears perked forward at my voice. "I'll do it." I pricked the weights up. It was not what I normally lifted but it would do for now. Lowering it down and bringing it back up I kept my breathing steady. "No tricks though. Please."

The lynx crossed over her heart. "Scouts honor."

"You were never a scout."

"Guilty." She pleaded. Her teeth were showing with a smile. "So are you going to stick around for the rest of my workout?"

"No can do, Miyu. Sorry." I apologized. "I have a little plan to go talk to Phara as she asked me to."

I heard her scoff. "You're going to leave me all alone again?" She threw her head back dramatically with a moan. "I'll be sooooooo bored though."

"So." I replied while finishing my first set, keeping my talking short. "Your problem." A breath. "Not mine."

"Well I suppose Krystal and Fox will be back soon depending on what they went to go and do. Or I can go say hi to my sister." Miyu brought a hand to her chin in hard thought. "No. That won't work. She's too busy with work to hang."

That marked my 20 luckily enough and I planted the bar back where it belonged. "Sister? You have a sister?" I asked while standing back up from the bench. "That... does not seem safe."

Miyu snickered at me. "No I think you would like her. She is a lot like me after all."

"Ohhh joy. Guess the apples landed in the same spot."

"It seems so." The lynx made her way over to a leg machine, sitting down in the seat. "Next to each other then down a hill."

"Parents are much more reserved than you two I take it?"

"Hardly." She laughed out in the reply. "Our parents were very prudish. Made me and my sister feel really boxed in with all the restrictions. It did not really matter too much as to what it was, mom and dad, had say over everything." She gripped the handles parallel to the seat and slipped her feet under a padded rod. Lifting it with a struggling face she continued. "With all that in mind me and my sis went out to parties in secret. We really enjoyed it. Especially the high school parties. Those ones can get intense."

I found myself nodding to everything she said. "I have been to a few myself. Nothing on your level probably so I can see why that life appealed to you." I went down to go and sit in the middle of the matt sat in the center of the room. It grabbed Miyu's attention.

"I though you had a plan to go and talk to Phara?"

"Well, ya. She can wait for a bit longer. You have my attention now." She split a flirtatious grin. I raised a hand to stop her where she was bound to go. It appeared to work. "Not like that." I let a large gush of air out through my mouth. This lynx was crazy erotic in the mind. "Back in my world, you see, in the series of games you were based off of, you were never actually in a game."

The machine she was working with made a clink again as Miyu lowered the bar resting on her shins. "Never? Not one?" I solemnly shook my head. Her expression soured. "So not cool. How do you know about me then?"

"That is easy. You were supposed to be in one of the games as a flirt to Fox, who is a guy in the games, maybe as a rival for his affection with Krystal. But they pulled you entirely from the game and quite a few were upset. They liked the idea of your character as it contrasted heavily to the other members of the Star Fox team. Sure you have no real solid back story to go on besides the few details the maker released on you. You were never fully fleshed out."

Her brows furrowed as her face strained in a lift. "That seems to be anything but simple."

"Meh." I dismissed her. "Simple to me and a lot of others. It just sounds more complicated than it really is."

"So you say." She replied in an obvious state of disdain. She was still doing those leg lifts.

"How many of those are you going to do?"

"Enough till I can squat what I bench. Plus, having nice legs is always a plus." She cocked her head of to the side. "Don't you agree?"

I refused to fall for her trick and kept my gaze level with her face. I began to waggle my finger. "I know you're tricks now. You won't get me with that."

"Too bad then." She mocked her disappointment. "I guess you won't see that my shorts have taken a hike north then."

Standing up like a shot I made my way to the door. "Right well. Have fun with the workout and all." I hit the doors control and stepped out into the halls once again. Spoilsport was the last thing I heard the lynx yell out to me as the door shut closed. "Sweet solitude."

Knowing that I had no idea where Phara was on the ship. I recalled that Miyu was was easily in the room behind me but going back would just provide Miyu an excuse to come up with a snide remark. Thinking it better to just head off back to the common room for Phara to come and find me there, I set off once again walking the same path I took.

It took me even less time to arrive back at the main room. To my disappointment there was no brown fennec fox sitting around waiting for me, wondering where I was. I was indeed, by now, late for talking to her. We may have never established a time but I was almost sure that she would have expected me earlier. So of course the whole idea that I had to leave was not entirely based on fact. It was more of a half truth to serve as a fall back card. Miyu can be rather eccentric at times after all.

Plus if I was to go off of how Krystal and Cloud described Miyu then having a means to back out at any time is almost essential. In fact the only time she would not flirt would be in the middle of a firefight. She said it herself that she refuses to endanger someone for her own musings. Even if that means a activity as simple as working out. It was nice to know some cared for your well being. The thought sat grimly in my mind. Some. Unlike the supposed friend that I had back home. I twisted my head and tilted it off center with a grimace. Now was really not a time to remember the past. If I had to learn anything from this crew they were possibly the most trust worthy people anywhere.

I slumped onto the couch. Landing on something hard in the process I recoil to grab what I had landed on. Pulling out what looked akin to a television remote I threw it onto the table nearest to me. It made me satisfied to hear the thud it made on the rather antique looking coffee table. Inanimate objects and their need to inflict pain on the animate. Made me smile. It was pleasant to know that some daily happenings carry over with you to, what most likely is, another universe. However insane of a statement that is to make.

Looking back at the remote I had just tossed away it made me want to turn on the TV. See what was going on in this world. Get to know it and maybe even see if the rest of the population has gotten used to what I am. A man thrown out of an anomalous tear in space and dropping on top of a general's head. General Pepper no less. Makes me wish I had not left the old man back with the press. The media was often tenacious when it came to a story. Facts be damned at times they just would want to use me to boost their views.

Shit. I cursed silently. No matter how I look at it Pepper was right. If I stayed they might have used that to their advantage to make me look like the bad guy and hand them a headline no one could resist. Did nothing to make me feel any better about it. Pepper is a dedicated soldier if not anything else in his life. All you could ask for in a soldier. Not like back home. I slumped at that and slowly slid off of the couch. Hoping that hyping up this place as a new start would have helped at least alleviate my trauma I punch the couch with my non injured and bandaged hand.

No matter what I did to try and distract myself I just ended up remembering what happened. First the breakdown in the bathroom and now these vivid callbacks regardless of the context of my thought at the time. I stared at the table I had eaten with the team this morning. They had cared for me. I called back on my first encounter with Cloud. They had trusted me. Why could I not get rid of these damned memories? Was I really that adverse to trusting others again? After all this could be my subconscious warning me of letting others in, letting them get close.

I have though. I have let them get close. Rather fast at times too. I told Krystal what had happened to me back in my reality. I just blurted out my weakness to people whom I have actually just met. "Shit, shit shit, shit. Shit!" I repeated and emphasized each curse with a light hit on the back of the head to regain focus. I was overreacting again.

This was the Star Fox I had grown up with in video games. They had some differences that were impossible not to notice like Fox and Falco being girls in this universe but that did not detract from who I believe they are. I keep seeming to forget that while I have opened up more to them they have done the same with me.

Krystal consoled me when I had my mental wreck and punched a mirror. She had even gotten angry at me even though we had just met. Miyu told me of her life in the most basic of ways and how she ended up being who she is today. She even divulged information of having a sister. That was not information that one was privy to telling a being that has never been seen before. Fox had even told me of her worst fear. Her fear of losing her friends. Not just that but she has even been convinced by the blue telepathic vixen to seek dialogue with myself as she knew that both of us having a problem created common ground. A base for trust especially when taking in the consideration of the sensitivity of our problems.

Bending over to rest my arms on the table I dropped my head to my hands slightly. "I really am a mess." I mumbled into the table. Letting all of this get to me still and worst of all I allowed it to effect how I think.

A hand touched my back gently. I stiffened to the touch and drew away from the contact. However the attempt failed and the feeling of the limb persisted as it came back to rest on my shoulder blade. Taking in a breath I held it as I spun to face the quite sudden intrusion to my personal space. I was face to face with Phara. I let the mass of air in my chest fly back out grateful that it was not Miyu. She seemed to hold a face that was rather filled with a vast concern. She attempted to reach out and touch my face. I simply took hold of it and returned to sender.

Phara did not change her facial expression so if what I did bothered her it did not show. She kept her hands down by her sides now. "Simply trying to see if you are alright. You seem very stressed. More so than anyone would be in this situation I mean." She moved to a chair and slid it out from its hiding under the table. "You seemed to be really freaked out when we first met you. Not to mention Krystal told us all the details of what she felt from your mind." She took a moment to breath and frown in thought. "It was very unsettling to hear it from a telepath's point of view."

"I bet." I remarked while crossing my arms defensively and leaning against the chair next to me. "Is this all you wanted to talk to me about? Cause I really rather not."

Phara's face appeared to have loosened at that. She crossed on of her legs over the other and clasped her hands together. "Fair enough." She conceded. "I did ask to just talk to you. Get to know you better." Showing I agreed with her I dragged a chair over to sit in front of her. Taking it as a cue to continue the fennec switched topics. "How old are you, Sevv?"

My brows raised as my eyes closed while my head veered back at the sudden change in direction. "Wow. I mean I know that I asked for a change in topic but, cripes, that was a 90 degree turn." Reopening my eyes and focusing back on the fox in front of me I cracked my knuckles as a means to catch up mentally. "I'm 18. Hell of a lot younger than all of you here I bet."

Phara did the equivalent of licking ones lips. "Quite younger. For reference slippy is about 29 years old if I recall correctly. Everyone else is an about an age around that mark."

"So is it considered impolite to ask a lady's age here as well?"

Phara's head twitched to the left and right in a fast and jerked motion before resting it in a cocked position. Raising a hand quickly she tapped the underside of her muzzle. "Not impolite no. I think women just like to have that anonymity to their age to have a surprise for their partner."

I bit my inner cheek at the corner of my mouth. A habit I had when I found myself absorbed in something. "So like..." I paused to think for a brief moment. "Basing ones beauty off by their appearance rather than comparing her to other women her age?"

"That certainly is one way of putting it." She smiled brightly at me. "But you only got it partly right. If I tell you the rest then what is the point of hiding our age."

"You do recall that I come from a reality where you simply are characters of ones imagination. I know a good bit about your group here on the Great Fox. Not a tonne of knowledge mind you but enough to say that I know you."

Her posture straightened as she crossed her arms in defiance, her eyes hardening playfully. "Alright. How old am I then, Sevv?"

Careening my head forward in a hard look at the fennec I tried to recall the official age I saw written on a website on the internet. I had a good idea but if I was too far over then there was the risk of making her feel bad. I rubbed the side of my head in anxious anticipation. "I believe that you are 28 years of age."

Ears tilted forward at that. The fennecs eyes widened only a fraction until returning to normal. Her muscles in her face contorted into a beaming smile. "How interesting. Most pin me for much younger."

"Does not surprise me." I scoffed at her comment. People could be rather easily swayed by outward appearances. Just like me. Being tall and rather fit made me extremely intimidating to smaller children. "You look good for your age by the way. Take good care of yourself I think."

"I, ugh." She waggled her shoulders around as her nose turned to the floor. "Thanks for the compliment." I laughed suddenly. It made her head veer up to look over to me holding my sides lightly. "What is so funny?"

I shook my head at the shear ridiculousness of the question. "You." I spoke clearly after wiping at my eyes. "Your reaction Phara. It was priceless. Are you not used to compliments?" I wiped at my brow in a mimic of a nervous fidget. In truth I was just itching.

Phara seemed to seize up in her seat. She had completely locked up all the joints in her body. "I have gotten compliments before. I have just never gotten one like this, at this sort of level."

"That level is?"

"Well for one you know my age. Second, you are the first guy to guess my age correctly despite my younger appearance. Last of all most guys assume that I was lying about my age, you knew better though."

"You look good though." I quietly voiced out to her. "From what I know of the animals you resemble back where I come from you look like you are barely into adulthood." I looked back up to the ceiling in a thought that this conversation may have gone beyond an acceptable point by know. I coughed and had Phara look to me apprehensively in anticipation for what the next thing I was going to say. "So... I hear that you are a good pilot?"

In a sudden turn of events her weary eyes burned with a confidence only seen in playboys at a bar. Her meek expression placed on her muzzle split upwards. "One of the best. My family has been in the navy for a while so I learned about flying at an early age." I winced inwardly at her brazen bravado. She sounded a bit too alike to what Falco was like in the games. Thankfully hers was spoken through experience and proper schooling. Falco, or Fal in this case, was practically the example of what it looks like for a pilot to have a high ego.

Despite seeing the striking similarities to Fal I decided not to mention any of it. Thinking it was better to just go along with the events as they have been I nodded squarely. "So parents in the Navy? That must have made it rather difficult to do anything normally."

Phara made a light chuckle and waved her hand. "Not really no. The only real difference with my parents was that I was schooled at home. Learned all I know from my ma and pa, I really owe them a whole lot. But ya, other than that not too much difference just that I might have been able to fool around a little more when my parents had nothing to teach me on a day."

"Right." I grunted while giving an idle drum on my lap. "So not a bad childhood then?"

"Ya it was pretty nice." She cast a long glance up into the rooms roof. "Sometimes my mom would take me shooting and teach me some dirty tactics. Then my dad taught me how to fight hand to hand." Her chest heaved as she let a heavy sounding sigh go from her throat.

I bit a corner of my lip to hold it on the inside of my mouth. A sound like that was made only my those that had regrets. "So what is the part that you are not telling me, Phara?"

Her head did a strange shake in a wide variety of directions as her ears seemed to flutter at the sudden question. With her ear being taller than Miyu's it had some serious power to it. "Ah, well..." She paused as she clutched her hands in between her legs. "I never really got the chance to be a girl you know?" She stopped and blinked. "No wait you don't. But I think you get what I mean."

Pursing my lips I gave a simple shake of my head. "I get that. With all of that military time you were never really living life the way that way that you fully intended to. Not a lot of sleepovers and pillow fights. No fighting over boys with your friends. Going to spas and taking a good pampering."

The fennec fox made a half smile and half frown at me. "You got that pretty spot on I think."

I crossed my arms over my chest and closed my eyes in thought. All the characters seemed to have a whole lot more going on than back with what the video games provided from what I remember when I was younger. Cloud has a sort of separation anxiety from her friends. Miyu is a wealthy girl who grew up with prudes for parents and acts like a rambunctious little flirt to let all of that pent up energy go. Now it seems like Phara is a daughter to a military family, and a important one at that, so she was never able to do what she wanted to do all that time nor was she able to do the typical things that girls tend to like.

There was no real way for her to know if she would actually like partaking in normal activities that girls do but she still wanted to try it. Every girl wants to be pampered even if just a little bit no matter how violent or boyish they can seem at times. This was really a big mess that this was turning out to be. I went to scratch at an itch on my forehead when I was suddenly dragged out of my stupor by a face very close to mine. Phara was no more then a mere few inches from touching with a look of pure fascination? I made a grimace and leaned back in my chair away from the intruding muzzle.

"Hello. Welcome to my personal space, how can I help you?"

Phara wordlessly retreated back to her chair. She plopped herself down lazily in the chair with her rear end further to the end of the chair while her back remained stuck to the backrest. "Sorry about that." She apologized meekly. "I just thought that maybe you were having another episode there. You just went so quite suddenly that I got worried."

"Huaaaa." I exhaled with enough force to make it an audible word of sorts. " I guess that makes sense. I was just deep in thought there for a moment."

"About what may I ask?"

"Not really anything important just my own musings at my further observations in this world."

"Oh?" The tall eared fox queried through the voicing of a sound. "What is that?"

"Well I can't say just one or two or even three specifics. I have to really say that everything is making me think to much and not just about this world but mine as well. Like I woke up this morning in a sort of a weird state of mind. It never really showed through but it feels like this all just one big, long, dream. It feels so fake but at the same time it feels so real and it seriously messes with my head."

Her eyes drifted off to the side of the room. She seemed rather reluctant to look at me at the moment. "I can't say that I know what you feel like but I get the gist of it. Do you think that maybe this could be just your brain filling in one big blank because you may have gone into a coma?"

I had thought of that as a possibility but it just does not make sense. "No way. If I was in a coma and you were just my brain coloring in the empty spaces then thee would be no way to have it admit it through an apparition." It would have to be something else if this was in fact fake. "I mean in dreams you can never seem to tell yourself that what you are in is a dream or even think of that for that matter. Unless I was a lucid dreamer but then I would be able to hold complete control over my dream. That is simply not the case."

"Sounds like you are just stuck with us and have to settle with the fact that you will never be able to figure out how you even got here."

"That appears to be the truth." I said, nodding my head. "Not so bad though. I mean there was not too much left back where I was from. We were winning the war by a definite margin. But after that what would I do? Wonder around trying to look for a job in a crumbled urban area? The economy would be a mess and houses would be too far and in between."

The fennec gave me a look filled with doubt and superstition. "So what?" She asked in surprise. "You like that you are glad you are here then?"

Sucking in one of my cheeks I pushed it back out with a pop. "That seems like such a silly question. I never really said that I was glad to be here. I mean, sure I know that being back in that world would be very difficult with its current position and what not. But on the bright side I was able to see and experience new things."

"So not a bad thing then?"

"Going by the strict definition of bad? No. Not bad at all just unfortunate. Sad in a way. Stressful."

The room actually went quiet. For then first time in a while the room felt dead silent like an empty and padded room. It is not like there was any tension in the air. I did not have any issue with what Phara had asked, not really. I think the problem was with me. Phara knew that, from what she had heard, my world was a source of pain and strife. At the same time it was my world. Exactly like ones room would be to a teenager. Good times and bad times it was still your room that you never wanted to leave. The same goes for my world. I hated it so much yet I loved it just as bad. It confused even myself even though that these were my own thoughts and views I still had no idea how that could be true. These strange emotional paradoxes.

I opened and closed my hands to stretch them as I had been clenching them this whole time. My knuckles even cracked a few times from the tense position. It had worked as an unintentional attention caller as Phara had once again leaned forward in her seat with emotionally straight eyes.

"Are you ok, Sevv? You jest seemed to phase out of conversation there for a moment."

"Ah no." I held an open palm out to her and shook it like a wave hello. "Just reflecting I guess."

"You seem to do that a lot." Despite the tone of voice her face was graced with a rather sweet and simple smile. She was such a competent person despite her bravado in her piloting skills. We all have flaws though.

"I do I guess. I think I am going to take another shower before Krystal and Cloud get back. I think I might need one."

"Lots of stress?" Came her rhetorical question as I got up from out of the chair.

I laughed lightly as my hand went to scratch the back of my head in a uneasy reaction to my readable movement. "I guess so. It will help me relax to."

"Try no to relax too much ya?"

"Sure, sure. See ya, Phara."

"Bye, Sevv."


End file.
